BX 

.T5 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



l^<7-A 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 

WHAT IT IS 



CHURCH : 

AND WHENCE IT IS 



HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF ITS ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AND DOCTRINES. 




By J. A. PARKER, 

Of the Louisiana Conference, M. E. Church, South. 




MiNDEN, Louisiana: 
1884. 



THE LIBRARy] 

(OP congress) 
IKashington 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by 

J. A. PARKER, 
in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washin.gton. 



DEDICATION. 



s an Mcpression of Gratitude to Her who Soothed me in Infancy^ 
Instructed me in Adolescence, and Counseled me in Manhood., 
This Little Book is Respectfully Dedicated 

Lucy Foster (Breedlove) Parker, 
In the Lonely Widowhood of her Declining Years, 

BY HER SON. 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter I. page 
Of the Church— What is it? 13 

Chapter II. 

Of the Forms of Worship 17 

Chapter III. 

Of the Rise and Progress of the Church 21 

Chapter IV. 

Of the Sources of Information Concerning the Church 24 

Chapter V. 

Of the Church Before the Coming of Christ 26 

Chapter VI. 

Of the "Church in the Wilderness" (Acts vii. 38, etc.) 28 

Chapter VII. 

Of the Church Beyond the Wilderness 31 

Chapter VIII. 

Of the Church Beyond the Wilderness — Its Doctrines 34 

Chapter IX. 

Tracing the Church Through its Doctrines to the Beginning. . . 39 
Chapter X. 

Of the History of the World Before the Flood 41 

Chapter XI. 

From the Flood to the Vocation of Abraham 45 

Chapter XII. 

From the Vocation of Abraham to the Building of Solomon^ s 
Temple 49 

Chapter XIII. 
From the Vocation of Abraham to the Building of the Second 
Temple 61 



6 



Contents. 



Chapter XIV. page 
Application of the Foregoing Facts 53 

Chapter XV. 

The Apostolic Period of the Church 55 

Chapter XVI. 

Changing the Sacraments of the Church 60 

Chapter XVII. 
Of the Oneness of the Church — The Church the Same both 
Before and After our Lord Came on the Earth 68 

Chapter XVIII. 
Of the Post-apostolic History of the Church Officiary 71 

Chapter XIX, 
The Support of the Ministry, both Before and After the Com- 
ing of Christ 74 

Chapter XX. 

Schisms in the Church Before Christ Came 77 

Chapter XXI. 

Of the First Century After Christ 79 

Chapter XXII. 
Of the Corruption of the Church During the First Century, and 
the Effect of it in After Years 83 

Chapter XXIII. 
Some Facts Concerning the Church Previous to the Else of Do- 
natism, A.D. 311 • 87 

Chapter XXIV. 
From the Separation of the Unbelieving Jews from the Chris- 
tians to the Else of the Donatists, A.D. 311 90 

Chapter XXV. 
From the Separation of the Unbelieving Jews from the Chris- 
tians to the Else of the Donatists, A.D. 311 (Continued) 93 

Chapter XXVI. 
From the Organization of the Donatists to the Organization of 
the Mennonites 99 



Contents. 



7 



Chapter XXVII. page 
From A.D. 500 to the Separation of the Greek from the Roman 
Church, A.D. 1053, including an Account of that Division. . . 101 

Chapter XXVIII. 
From A.D. 500 to the Separation of the Greek from the Eoman 
Church, A.D. 1053, including an Account of that Division (Con- 
tinued) 105 

Chapter XXIX. 
Of Changes which Took Place in the Church During and Be- 
fore the Eleventh Century 108 

Chapter XXX. 
From the Disruption of the Church, by which the Grecian 
Church was Established, to the Reformation 113 

Chapter XXXI. 
From the Disruption of the Church, by which the Grecian 
Church was Established, to the Reformation (Continued). . . . 116 

Chapter XXXII. 
Concerning the Reformation— A.D. 1501 to A.D. 1600 119 

Chapter XXXIII. 
Concerning the Reformation — A.D. 1501 to A.D. 1600 (Contin- 
ued) 123 

Chapter XXXIV. 
Of the Reformation— A.D. 1501 to A.D. 1600 (Concluded) 128 

Chapter XXXV. 
Concerning Some of the Sects in Existence During the Six- 
teenth Century 13 

Chapter XXXVI. 
Concerning the Church of England 136 

Chapter XXXVIL 
Of the Wesleyan Movement in the Revival of Religion in the 
Church of England 141 

Chapter XXXVIII. 
Concerning the Moravians and their Influence on the Wesleyan 
Movement 145 



8 



Contents. 



Chapter XXXIX. PAGE 
Of the Wesleys, and of John in Particular 148 

Chapter XL. 

Concerning the Rapidity with which the Work of Mr. Wesley 
Spread, both in Europe and America 151 

Chapter XLI. 

Concerning Wesley's Visit to the Colonies 155 

Chapter XLII. 
From the First American Conference to the Fluvanna Confer- 
ence (1779), including an Allusion to the First Quarterly 
Conference. 159 

Chapter XLIII. 
From the Fluvanna Conference (1779) to the Baltimore Confer- 
ence (1784) 163 

Chapter XLIV. 
Of the Organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church" 168 

Chapter XLY. 
From A.D. 1784 to A.D. 1844— Of the Success of the Church 
and the Causes of Disruption 173 

Chapter XL VI. 
Of the Schisms from 1819 to 1843 179 

Chapter XLVII. 
Of the Organization of the ''Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South " 181 

Chapter XLVIII. 
Of the^ Organization of the " Methodist Episcopal Church, 

South" (Continued) 185 

Conclusion 1^^ 



\ 



PREFACE. 

In the preparation of this little volume the author has been 
moved by convictions of duty, and not by any desire to enter the 
literary field. He has found no little difficulty in eliminating a class 
of facts which, though in point, were less appropriate to the purpose 
in hand than others. If, therefore, those who have given time and 
study to the subjects treated should feel that there have been too 
many such facts omitted, we must admit it, and insist that our plan 
demanded that we pursue the course we have. 

We have written for the masses — for the plowboys and the shop- 
girls; for the closely engaged tillors of the soil; for the miner and 
the factory hands — who have neither time nor disposition to read 
such productions as the author has waded through more than fifty 
thousand pages in the production of this little treatise. 

Having for a quarter of a century been among the people on mis- 
sions, on rural circuits, and on extensive districts, we have observed 
in every place the need of some such work as we have tried to per- 
form. Whether or not we have succeeded in meeting the demand 
is left for the public to judge ; but not, we trust, wich that severity 
which might be meted to those of more experience. 

Begging for mercy at the hands of critics, but not such as deny • 
the truth, and trusting in God for his blessing upon our work, we 
send it forth with trembling. 

J. A. Parker. 

MiNDEN, La., March 14, 1884. 

2 



INTRODUCTION. 

In the arrangement of these "facts," we have, as is elsewhere 
stated, been governed by what long observation has dictated to us 
as a great and deplorable want in our Church. 

The appearance of these facts in this form and at this time — cen- 
tenary year — is merely incidental. We have not attempted to 
write a centenary book. Other and more skillful hands have that 
in charge, and we have contented ourself with the hope that we 
have succeeded in placing before our people, in a cheap form, such 
facts as are necessary to sustain them in asserting the doctrines of 
their Church, and prepare them to properly estimate the arrogant 
claims of others. 

Our Church has all along opposed the assertion of some other 
"Church folks" that the Christian Church was introduced into the 
world at or about the time of the crucifixion — a declaration which 
does not find one word of proof in the Bible. Some men may say 
that our Saviour, or John the Baptist, or the apostles started the 
Church, but the Bible nowhere says any thing of the kind. On the 
contrary, it plainly teaches that the Church was in the world long 
before the Saviour came;^ and instead of being started on the day of 
Pentecost, "about three thousand souls" were added to it on that 
day.f 

It has also been a doctrine of our Church—not written expressly 
in the Twenty-five Articles of Faith, but very clearly set forth by 
our writers, especially those who have written on the subject of bap- 
tism — that the same sacraments exist in the Church now that were 
in it from the beginning, and without change or modification, except 
and solely in the manner of expressing the obligation — e. g., before 
Christ came the fact of his coming was a matter of promise, and in 
the future; and the passover was of a nature to signify the faith of 
the worshipers in that fact of promise ; but since he came and died, 
our faith in him is expressed not in such w^ay as signifies the future 
shedding of his blood, but in such way as signifies that his blood has 
been shed for us. Hence it is clear that the sacrament of the pass- 
over alluded to Christ just as the "sacrament of the Lord's Supper'' 
alludes to him; and the only new thing about it is that change in 

='''Acts vii. 38. f Aots ii. 41. 



12 



Introduction. 



the manner of expressing the sacrament which he introduced just 
before his death. 

Moreover, the sacrament of baptism is another manner of ex- 
pressing the fact which was expressed by circumcision. In the 
great commission our Lord established baptism as the universal 
practice (Matthew xxviii. 19) ; and in the decision of the apostles 
(Acts, chapter xv.) the obligation to circumcise was discontinued, at 
least in so far as Gentiles are concerned. As circumcision expressed 
the obligation of the circumcised to live with God's people and serve 
him, so when baptism came to take the place of circumcision it ex- 
pressed the same fact — the obligation of the baptized to live with 
God's people and serve him. Now, as children were partakers of 
that sacrament which expressed the obligation they were under to 
live with God's people and serve him, and as there has been no 
change made by our Lord, except in the mere manner of expressing 
this obligation, our Church has all along given the sacrament of 
baptism to children. If the twelve apostles were not baptized in 
their childhood, there is no evidence that they were baptized at all. 

All these and other cardinal points in our doctrines have been 
objected to by asserting something else, which something else cannot 
be proved. 

If we show that God had a Church in the world before Christ 
came, and that that Church had a sacrament for children, then, un- 
less it can be shown that the nature of Christ has been changed, and 
unless it be shown that God has repealed the law which permitted 
infants to partake of a sacrament in that Church, we must continue 
the Church as God gave it. 

The object in these pages is to set these "facts" before our peo- 
ple in their true historical character. In order to do this, we have 
perused nearly forty-eight thousand pages of books, besides a vast 
amount of other literature. In giving the names and dates of ori- 
gin of the various denominations, we have not tried to give all, but 
rather to give such as we most frequently find some mention of in 
our general reading. Yet, we are satisfied that a great number^have 
been^mentioned of which the majority of our readers never heard. 
In this particular we have fears of having overdone our^work. It 
would have been much less work to have made this little book three 
or four times as large as it is; but we have aimed at cheapness com- 
bined with accuracy. How we have succeeded the reader must 
decide. The Author. 

MiNDEN, La., March, 1884. 



TIJE CpRCI^; WHAT IT IS AND WHENCE IT IS. 



Chapter I. 

Of the Church — What is it? 



1. What is a Church ? 

A Church is a " congregation of faithful men in which 
the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly 
administered." 

2. What is meant by " congregation 

A congregation is a company or assembly of persons. 

3. What is meant by " the pure word of God ? " 

The doctrines and ordinances of God as revealed in the 
Bible. 

4. What are "sacraments?" 

A sacrament is an institution, the observance of which 
binds us to Christ. 

5. What does "sacrament" mean? 
An obligation — binding anew. 

6. How many sacraments are there? 

Two : Baptism, and the Lord's Supper. 

7. How does baptism bind us anew to Christ ? 

It is a public declaration that our hearts are open to his 
grace and will. 

8. How does the Lord's Supper bind us? 

It is a public declaration that we in heart belong to the 
Lord's people, and love them and him. 

9. What kind of a Church have we described? 
A visible Church. 

10. Into what may we sum up the constituents of a visible Church ? 
Into four things, viz.: (1) Faith in Jesus; (2) an organi- 
zation ; (3) a ministry ; and (4) ordinances of divine service. 



14 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



11. Does the Church have an existence in any form other than 
this visible form? 

Yes; there is an invisible Church. 

12. What constitutes the invisible Church? 

^^Joy and peace in the H(3ly Ghost" in the hearts of men, 
by which they are united to Christ and to one another. 

13. Who^ then, belong to the invisible Church? 

All truly converted and regenerated people, whether they 
belong to the visible Church or not. 

14. Where do the visible Church and the invisible Church belong? 
On earth. 

16. Is there a Church in heaven? and if so, what is it called? 
There is; and it is called the " Church triumphant." 

16. What are the visible Church and the invisible Church some- 
times called? 

The Church militant." 

17. How, then, may we speak of Christians on earth and Chris- 
tians in heaven ? 

As the Church militant and the Church triumphant. 

18. Is the visible Church one and the same everywhere ? 

No. There are a great many organizations in the visible 
Church, differing from each other in doctrine and polity. 

19. What do you mean by ''doctrine?" 

Creed; articles of faith; opinions as to what the Bible 
teaches. 

20. What do you mean by '' polity ?" 

The manner of doing things in the Church; pertaining 
to the government. 

21. How are these several organizations in the visible Church 
distinguished from each other ? 

By the names which they adopted at the time of their or- 
ganization — such as the Baptist Church," the " Presbyte- 
rian Church," the " Methodist Episcopal Church, South," 
etc. 



The Church : W hat it is and Whence it is. 



15 



22. What are the different forms of Cliurch government called, 
and why ? 

Some are said to be Episcopal, because they are presided 
over by bishops; others are said to be Congregational, be- 
cause the congregation is the highest authority in them; 
while some are said to be Presbyterial, because the presby- 
ters are at the head of affairs. 

23. What is the difference bet\yeen a bishop and presbyter? 
Presbyter, or elder — which is the same — is an order in 

the ministry, but a bishop is one of the elders who has 
been chosen as an officer. Stephen (Acts vi. 2-5) was a 
deacon, Peter (1 Peter v. 1) was an elder, and James (Acts 
X. 13-19) was a bishop. A presbyter and a bishop are one, 
except as to the ofBcial promotion of one to the office of 
bishop. 

24. What does the Bible say about bishops ? 

The Bible speaks of a bishop as an oflScer in the Church. 
If any man desireth the office of a bishop, he desireth a 
good thing." 

25. Repeat the definition of a Church. 

"A visible Church is a congregation of believers in which 
the pure word of God is preached and the sacraments duly 
administered." 

26. What number of persons is necessary in a congregation or 
assembly for the worship of Grod ? 

The Bible says : " Where two or three are gathered to- 
gether in my name, there am I in the midst." Tertullian, 
who lived in the third century, and was the first man who 
opposed the baptism of infants, says : " Three are sufficient 
to constitute a Church, though they be laymen." (Quoted 
by Dr. Ditzler.) 

27. Where is the first mention of the assembling of two or three 
persons for the worship of God ? 

In Genesis iv. 3, 4: " It came to pass, that Cain brought 
of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And 



16 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Abel, lie also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of 
the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and 
to his offering." 

28. What does that passage teach ? 

It teaches that God had " an assembly of worshipers " in 
the very first years of the world's existence. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is, 17 



Chapter II. 

Of the Forms of Worship. 



29. Was the act of Cain and Abel an act of worship? and if so, 
why was it so ? 

It was an act of worship, because they had assembled to 
honor God with their offerings and service. 

30. How do all Christians worship God ? 

They assemble for that purpose, and worship him with 
their offerings and service. 

31. Do people now offer "the fruit of the ground,'' or "the first- 
lings of the flock and the fat thereof," as Cain and Abel did? 

They do not, but offer " their souls and bodies, a living 
sacrifice.'' 

32. Why not offer sacrifices as they did before the coming of our 
Lord ? 

Because those sacrifices were types of the promised 
Saviour, who is now come to be the sacrifice for sin, '^offered 
once for all." St. Paul says: "There shall be no more 
sacrifice for sin." 

33. Why did the people, in the first generations of men, oflfer 
"the firstlings of the flock" in sacrifice to the Lord? 

To foreshadow the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, which 
taketh away the sin of the world," and to manifest their 
faith in the promise of God. 

34. What were these sacrifices called? 

They were called " offerings unto the Lord." 

35. How long did this service of oflferings last? 
Till the crucifixion of our Lord. 



18 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



36. Was salvation in these ofrerings? 

No. They were types of .Christ, who is ^'our light and 
our salvation." 

Note. — It is impossible to know at what an early period of the world's 
history the idea of salvation through our Lord was fully understood by the 
people. When Jacob was about to die, he cried out, " I have waited for thy 
salvation, 0 Lord! " (Gen. xlix. 18.) This seems as clear and as intelligent as 
the dying exclamation of Simeon ; "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in 
peace, according to thy word ; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation." (Luke ii. 
29, 30.) When we remember that SimeoQ lived nearly seventeen hundred yenrs 
after Jacob, we must conclude that in matters of revelation the first genera- 
tions were not less enlightened than those who saw " the Lamb of God " face 
to face. We have but little written of these early days, probably because the 
art of writing had not been invented. 

37. What is a type ? 

A type is a thing which represents or foreshadows some- 
thing else. 

38. How did the lamb offered in sacrifice represent our Sav- 
iour? 

By its sufferings, and deaths and ascension (in the smoke 
— see Jenks and others), it foreshadowed the sufferings, 
death, and ascension of the Saviour of sinners. 

39. Why could not Cain's offering foreshadow Christ ? 
Because, being inanimate, it could neither suffer nor die. 

40. Was there any virtue in these types? 

No. The saving virtue was in the promised Messiah. 

41. Was^e present in these types? 

He was by faith, just as he is now present in the hearts 
of all true believers. 

42. By or through what means is the merit of Christ now avail- 
able to sinners ? 

By grace, through faith in him. 

43. Was Abel or any one else ever saved without the blood of 
the Son of God ? 

No. "'There is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts iv. 12.) 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



19 



44. Was Jesus always present to save those who "believed on 
his name?" 

Yes. Abel, Enoch, ISToah, Abraham, and Sarah (and 
all the saved) were saved through the faith which " is the 
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not 
seen." (Hebrews xi. 1.) Moreover, our Lord says of him- 
self: Before Abraham was, I am." (John viii. 58.) 

45. In Rev. xiii. 8, our Saviour is spoken of as a Lamb slain 
from the foundation of the world." What does that expression 
mean ? 

It means, when taken in connection with the doctrine of 
salvation ^^hj faith in his name,'' that the virtue of his 
blood has been imparted to the believers from the beginning. 

46. Was he " manifest in the flesh " from the foundation of the 
world ? 

No; but by the faith of the worshiper, he is virtually 
present in the promises and in the types. 

47. When was the Saviour first promised? 

Soon after the fall of Adam, and before any fallen soul 
was born. 

48. What do you mean by the fall of Adam f 

The introduction of moral evil into the world — the sin 
of Adam and Eve. 

49. W^hat position does our Saviour hold in the Church of God? 
He is the Head of the Church. 

50. Was he always the Head of the Church? 

Yes. He is "a High-priest forever, after the order of 
Melchizedek." 

51. What was the " order ^' of Melchizedek's high-priesthood? 
It was without succession or predecession. 

62. How does this comparison represent our Lord's high-priest- 
hood? 

As " without beginning of days or end of years.'' 



20 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



53. Of what Church is this great High-priest the Head? 
He is the Head of the Churcli of God. 

54. Is the Church of God and the Church of Christ all one? 
Yes. Jesus says : " I and my Father are one ; " and again : 

"All that the Father hath is mine.'' 

55. Is Jesus the Head of the Church militant and triumphant 
both? 

Yes. He is Head " over all, God blessed forever." 

56» Can a Church prosper if in heart or life its members be sev- 
ered from its great Head ? 

It cannot. "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, 
except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide 
in me." (John xv. 4.) 

57. Is there no other head of the Church — no other source of 
vitality of heart and spiritual success? 

" Without me ye can do nothing.'* 

58. Is not the bishop, or chief pastor, the head of the Church? 
No. He is simply its executive officer, and the overseer 

of the brotherhood. 

59. What authority has he in the Church ? 

None ; except that given him by the Bible and consented 
to by his brethren. 

60. By what is the Church directed in its life and doctrine? 
By the Bible. Whatever is not written therein, nor 

proved thereby, is not required to be believed as an article 
of faith nor a matter of duty. 

61. Could a Church exist without a head? 

We cannot conceive of any organization existing with- 
out a head. 

62. Could Abraham, or Moses, or David, or any other man, have 
been the head of the Church? 

No ; for it could have had no higher authority than its 
head, and would have been merely an association or corpo- 
ration, and not a Church. 



21 



Chapter III. 

Of the Kise and Pkogress of the Church. 



63. Is there any written statement concerning the Church before 
the birth of Christ? 

There is. The Old Testament contains a history of the 
Church from the beginning up to that time. 

64. What is the Church sometimes called in the Old Testament? 
It is sometimes called *^the assembly/' and sometimes 

" the congregation." 

65. What do learned men tell us it is called in the Greek — the 
language in which the New Testament was first written? 

Ecclesia. 

66. What do the scholars say ecclesia means? 

To call out, or from. (From Greek: eh out of, or from, 
and haleo, to call.) 

67. When used to speak of the Church, what do they say it 
means in Greek ? 

It means those whom God has called out of or from the 
world, to be his people. 

68. Has God ever called the | people to forsake the world and 
serve him ? 

He has. 

69. Where, in the Bible, do we find the first intimation of this 
fact? 

In Genesis iv. 7 : "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be 
accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." 

70. Where do we next find a very clear intimation of the fact 
that God had, in those early times, a separate and distinct people? 
(Job ii. 1.) 

In Genesis vi., where the "sons of God" are spoken of 
as distinguished from all other " men." 



22 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



71. God has called all men, and commanded them to forsake the 
world and be his. Why, tlien, do not all men belong to the Church? 

Because they do not obey his call, and separate them- 
selves from the wicked. 

72. Who, then, belong to the Church? 

Those who obey the call of God, and forsake the world 
and turn to him. 

73. Did Abel do that? 

Yes ; and not only Abel, but all the sons of God " have 
done the same. 

74. What is the difference between those ^' who are of the house- 
hold of faith " and those who are not ? 

Those who are of the household of faith have come out 
from among the wicked;'' the others have not. 

75. If I speak of a ^'preacher of righteousness," what do you 
understand me to mean? 

Of course you mean an officer of the Church — a minister. 

76. Who was the first '^preacher of righteousness" mentioned 
by name in the Bible ? 

Noah. 

77. How long was that before John the Baptist was born ? 
Nearly two thousand years. 

78. What is the difference between a preacher and a priest? 
Virtually there is no difference. Some Christians still 

call their ministers priests. 

79. What is a priest? 

A priest is a person who is appointed to minister in holy 
things. 

80. Are not preachers or ministers appointed to minister in holy 
things ? 

They are just as much so as the priests of old. 

81. When was this ofiice in the Church first established? 

It is not known ; but there was such an office as priest in 
the days of Abraham. (HeOrews vii. 2.) 



Thti Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



23 



32. What does Paul say about ordaining priests? (See Hebrews 
V. 1.) 

He says they are " ordaiued for men in things pertaining 
to God." 

83. Are not preachers "ordained for men in things pertaining to 
God?" 

Yes. St. Paul was " ordained a preacher to the Gen- 
tiles." (1 Timothy ii. 7.) 

84. How long after Melchizedek before the priesthood under 
Moses was instituted? 

About four hundred and twenty years. 

85. What w^as the duty of those priests who were ordained soon 
after the Israelites left Egypt? 

It was their duty to minister in holy things. 

86. How did they perform their duty ? 

By assembling the people and worshiping God according 
to his word. 

87. How do the people worship God now ? 

By meeting together and offering prayer and praise as 
his word directs. 



24 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter IV. 

Of the Sources of Information Concerning the Church, 



88. How do we know there is a Church in the world to-day ? 
We know it because we see faithful men meeting to wor- 
ship God according to the requirements of his word. 

89. How far back can we follow this evidence of the existence of 
the Church? 

To the worship of the Israelites in the wilderness, to Noah 
after the flood, and indeed to acts of religious worship be- 
fore the flood. 

90. Beyond the* period of our personal recollection, how are we 
to ascertain any thing about the Church ? 

By consulting the historians. 

91. Mention some of the most reliable sources of information 
concerning the Church. 

The Bible, Mosheim's History of the Church, Neander's 
Planting and Training of the Christian Church, besides a 
great number of others. 

93. Mention some of the early Christians whose writings afford 
valuable information concerning the Church. 

Polycarp, Irenseus, Chrysostom, Origen, Athanasius, etc* 

93. What are these last-named writers sometimes called ? 
They are sometimes designated as the fathers, 

94. Were these fathers inspired? 

By no meaus; but having lived many hundreds of years 
nearer the remote times about which they write, their oppor- 
tunities to know the facts were better than those who came 
after them. 

95. What is the best authority in matters of Church history and 
doctrine? 

The Bible. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



25 



96. If the Bible does not give us the time and place of the insti- 
tution of the Church, how are we to know how long the Church has 
been in the world ? 

By following the allusions to its doctrines and institu- 
tions. 

97. Does the Bible tell us that the apostles, or John the Baptist, 
or our Saviour, instituted the Church, creating a ministry and for- 
mulating doctrines and a form of government for it ? 

It does not. 

98. How, then, are we to know there was a Church on earth 
while the apostles lived ? 

From the fact that on the day of Pentecost three thou- 
sand members were added to the Church." 

99. Was not that the time at which the Church was first insti- 
tuted on earth ? 

No ; for if it had not existed before that, none could have 
been added to it. 

100. Can people be added to a Church" before it is organized? 
No. There must be an organization previously existing. 

3 



26 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter V. 

Of the Church Before the Coming of Christ. 

101. What evidence have we that God had a Church on earth 
before the day of Pentecost? 

The fact that he had a people before that day who were 
organized for his service, with institutions of his own ap- 
pointing. 

102. We have seen that four things are necessary to constitute a 
Church, viz. : Faith in Christ, an organization, a ministry, and " or- 
dinances of divine service." Do we find all these before the birth 
of our Lord? 

We do. Abraham believed God's promise of a Saviour, 
Job had faith in the Kedeemer (Job xix. 25), and Noah was 
a perfect msiB.'^ and "a preacher of righteousness." 

103. Is there any "righteousness" for man without Jesus Christ? 
No. He is " the Lord our righteousness." 

104. Where do we find an unmistakable organization for the 
worship and service of God ? 

In Exodus xxviii. 1-43. 

105. What does the Bible call this organization? (See Acts vii. 
38.) 

It calls it "the Church." 

106. Where does it say it was then located? 
" In the wilderness." 

107. Did it have a ministry ? 

Yes. Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar were 
its ministers. (Exodus xxviii. 1.) 

108. Did the Church in the wilderness have ordinances ? " 

In Hebrews ix. 1 St. Paul says it had " ordinances of 
divine service and a worldly sanctuary," 



The Church: What it is arid Whence it is. 



27 



109. What is a sanctuary ? " 

It is a place where God is publicly worshiped. Church- 
houses are called sanctuaries. 

110. Is there any evidence that there was an}^ other Church 
besides the "Church in the wilderness" ever organized by God or 
men ? 

None whatever. 

111. Did our Lord at any time create a Church, or give orders 
for it to be done? and if so, where is the fact recorded? 

There is nothing of the kind in the Bible. 

112. Did our Lord ever recognize any other Church than that 
in which he was born ? 

He did not. 

113. Did he recognize what is commonly called the Jewish 
Church? 

Yes. In Luke iv. 16 it is said it was his custom to go 
into the synagogues on the Sabbath-day. 

114. What is said about his connection with the Church during 
his ministry on earth ? 

In John xviii. 20 he says: "I ever taught in the syna- 
gogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort." 



28 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter VI. 

Of the " Church ix the Wii^derness." (Acts vii. 38, etc.) 

115. How far back can we trace the Church of Christ by positive 
scriptural assertion? 

About one thousand five hundred years before John the 
Baptist was born. 

116. How do you compute time to prove that God had a Church 
so long before the birth of John? 

In Acts vii. 38 it is said there was a Church in existence 
during the journey from Egypt to the promised land. The 
Israelites went out of Egypt about the year of the world 
two thousand five hundred and fourteen, and John the 
Baptist was born about A.M. three thousand nine hundred 
and ninety-nine. Taking the former from the latter date, 
the exact difference is one thousand four hundred and 
ninety-two years. 

117. What became of that Church which existed one thousand 
four hundred and ninety-two years before John the Baptist was born ? 

It was carried into the promised land. 

118. What did the members of the Church do ? 

They " desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob." 

119. Who built a house, or tabernacle, for the Lord ? 
Solomon. 

120. What was the house built by Solomon called ? 
The " temple.'' 

121. Was it built for civil and political uses, as court-houses and 
State-houses are, or for purely religious uses? 

Matthew xxi. 12, 13 says Jesus drove the traders out of 
it, and said : " My house shall be called the house of prayer; 
but ye have made it a den of thieves," 



1 



TJie Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



29 



122. What kind of service was held in " the house of prayer" at 
Jerusalem ? 

*'The pure word of God was preached [read and ex- 
pounded], and the sacraments duly administered." 

123. What were the sacraments of the Church in that day? 
Circumcision and the Passover. 

124. Did our Lord partake of these sacraments? 

Yes. He was circumcised in the temple, and partook of 
the passover, as God had ordained. 

125. Why were not baptism and the Lord's Supper then recog- 
nized as sacraments in the Church ? 

Circumcision was necessary because God had said " with- 
out shedding of blood there is no remission of sins ; " and 
blood could not be shed in baptism. The Lord's Supper 
could not have been, because the bread and wine used in it 
represented the broken body of our crucified Redeemer. 

126. Was the consecration of Aaron and his sons to the ministry 
of the Church in the wilderness the beginning of that Church ? 

No. It was only a more permanent and formal arrange- 
ment of the temporal affairs pertaining to it. 

127. Were the same rites and ceremonies, the same oificers and 
duties, in existence prior to that time? 

Yes. There are some evidences of an organized Church 
among the Israelites while in Egypt. 

128. Mention some of those facts which indicated it. 

(1) The Israelites based their desire to leave Egypt on 
their duty to serve God — ^Exodus v. 17, viii. 8-27. See 
Exodus V. 1. (2) They had officers— Exodus v. 18; (3) 
among whom were elders. See Exodus iii. 16. 

129. Did the Israelites have any civil government of their own 
while in Egypt. 

They did not; for they were subject to the edicts of Pha-^ 
raoh. 

130. Did they have ordinances of divine service while in Egypt ? 
They had such as were appointed by God, and were ac- 
ceptable to him. 



30 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



131. Were these Israelites believers ? 
They were ; and were also Ood's people. 

132. Had they the four constituent elements of the Church? 
They had; because (1) they were "faithful men;" and 

(2) they were organized; and (3) they had a ministry — 
elders ; and (4) they had the ordinances appointed by God. 

133. Do we find these conditions for the existence of the Church 
prior to the going into Egypt? 

Yes. Nearly four hundred years before this God had a 
people who served him according to his will, and in the 
use of his ordinances. 



The Church: What it is mid Whence it is. 



81 



Chapter VII. 

Of the Church Beyond the Wilderness. 



134. For what purpose did Cain and Abel assemble at the altar 
of God? (Genesis iv. 3, 4.) 

To offer sacrifices to the Lord. 

135. Were their offerings acceptable to the Lord ? 
Abel's was, but Cain's was not. 

136. How do you suppose Abel knew how to offer an acceptable 
sacrifice ? 

He could not have know^n unless God had revealed it to 
him. 

137. How did God communicate with the people in Abel's time, 
and previous to it ? (See Genesis iii.) 

By conversing with them as man would with man. 

138. Do you suppose we have in these conversations a history of 
all God said to the people? 

I suppose not ; for God planned a moral law, gave prom- 
ise of a Saviour, caused the naming of all animals, etc., 
made clothing for Adam and Eve, and provided a method 
for divine service, and did many other things of which we 
have no record except the facts. 

139. How much time elapsed from the birth of Cain to the flood? 
Most likely about one thousand six hundred and fifty-four 

years ; some say one thousand six hundred and fifty-six. 

140. How much space in the Bible is devoted to this vast period 
of time? 

Five short chapters — equal in space to about six pages in 
a common school history. 

141. Is it possible to crowd the details of history through so long 
a period into such small space? 

The simplest forms of worship could not be written in so 
small a space. 



32 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



143. How long was it from the flood to the calling of Abraham ? 
About four hundred and twenty-seven years. 

143. What amount of space is taken up with the history of that 
period ? 

Twelve chapters. In all, from the creation to the call of 
Abraham, seventeen chapters, covering a period of over 
two thousand years. 

144. What are some of the facts contained in the brief history 
of the first two thousand years of the world ? 

God had a people called by his name — sons of God.'' 
(Genesis vi. 2; Job ii. 1.) They w^orshiped him according 
to his will. (Genesis xiii. 3, 4.) They had a ministry — a 
f^iesthood. (Genesis xiv. 18.) They believed in the prom- 
ised Eedeemer. (Genesis iii. 15.) 

145. What more can be said of the people at this time? 
Nothing. God has a people — " sons of God (1 John 

iii. 11); they have ministers (Romans i. 1); and they be- 
lieve in a Redeemer (John i. 29). 

146. Where did the people worship' during the first two thou* 
sand years of the world's history? 

In the open air. 

147. Where do we find the first mention of a tabernacle, or othei* 
house of worship ? 

After the Israelites left Egypt. 

148. What kind of a house did they use then? 
A movable tent. 

149. When was the tabernacle displaced ? 
When the temple was built. 

150. Was the temple standing when Christ came into the world? 
No. It had been destroyed, and the second temple was 

standing when our Lord came upon the earth. 

151. Did the service in the second temple diflfer from the service 
in the first? 

It did not. The service was the same in each. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 33 



152. Was the service held in the tabernacle of the same charac- 
ter as that held in the first temple ? 

Precisely. Its character was purely spiritual, and its 
design was the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 

153. Did the service rendered by Abraham (Genesis xiii. 3, 4), 
or by Noah (Genesis viii. 20, 21), or by Abel (Genesis iv. 4), differ 
in character or design from the service held by the apostles (Acts 
ii. 42)? 

It did not. There has been a gradual accretion of forms 
and ceremonies, but the general character and designs of 
divine worship are now and always have been the same, no 
matter what the forms and ceremonies may have been. 



84 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter VIII. 

Of the Church Beyond the Wilderness — Its Doctrines. 



154. Is there any well-defined form of government prescribed in 
the Bible for the Church? 

None ; except in so far as Christ is to be the Head of the 
Church. 

155. Is there any number and name of officers required in orde 
to maintain a Church organization? 

No. The officers seem to have varied according to cir- 
cumstances. (1 Corinthians xii. 28.) 

156. Is there any particular method required in singing, preach- 
ing, praying, etc.? 

Only it must be done in a devout, spiritual way. 

157. Is there any fixed and unchangeable forilis of doctrines 
given in the Bible ? 

Yes. The doctrines of the Bible are an expression of 
the fixed principles of eternal truth. 

158. Can these doctrines be changed and the truth of God main- 
tained? 

No. These divine truths emanate from him, and like 
him are eternal. 

159. Do these truths afiect the doctrines of men? 

They do ; for if the truth that salvation is through faith 
in Jesus Christ was not known, men could not be saved. 

160. Could men be saved if they did not know that God required 
purity of heart, and also what things defile the heart? 

No; for if men knew not that purity of heart was nec- 
essary, they would not strive against their corrupt natures 
to be pure; and if they knew not what things defile the 
heart, they would not know from what things to turn away. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



35 



161. Does the Bible teach that God ever gave more than one 
plan of salvation, or that men, as moral beings, were ever difiierent 
from what we now see them to be ? 

It does not ; but on the contrary, it is declared, with ref- 
erence to Adam's race, that God "fashioneth all their 
hearts alike." 

162. Speaking with reference to the divine nature and human 
necessity, could there ever have been a time when man did not know 
every thing necessary to salvation? 

No (1 Timothy ii. 4) ; for God will have all men to be 
saved.'' 

163. Is there any thing said in the history of the first two thou- 
sand years of the world from which you can make out a way to be 
saved ? 

No. We read, " If thou doest evil, sin lieth at the 
door ; " but there is no explanation as to what sin is. 

164. Do we read of any good men? 

Yes. "Enoch walked with God,'' "Noah was a just 
man, and perfect in his generation," and " God had respect 
unto Abel and his offering." 

165. What convictions do the foregoing facts force upon our 
minds ? 

That the first inhabitants of the earth knew a great deal 
more about the Church and its means of grace than has 
been transmitted to us in the brief history we have. 

166. Were not these people who lived before Christ was crucified 
saved by the law ? 

No. The Scriptures say: "The law is our school-master 
to bring us to Christ." 

167. But did they not obtain salvation by doing what the law 
demanded ? 

No ; for St. Paul (Romans iii. 20) says : " By the deeds 
of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." 

168. How, then, were they saved? 

They were saved by the blood of Christ as foreshadowed 



36 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



in the bloody sacrifices and ceremonies of the Church in 
the first ages of the world. 

169. When our Saviour came, did he not establish a new code of 
doctrines and ceremonies ? 

No. There is not a custom nor a doctrine recognized by 
our Lord which was not practiced or taught long before 
the incarnation. 

170. What does the Old Testament teach concerning the being of 
God? 

" The Lord our God is one Lord." 

171. What does the Old Testament teach in regard to the trinity ? 
Genesis i. 26 : "And God said, Let us make man in our 

image, after our likeness." 

172. What does it teach in regard to the unity — the oneness of 
God? 

Deuteronomy iv. 35: "The Lord he is God; there is 
none else beside himJ^ 

J173. What does the Old Testament teach in regard to the Holy 
Spirit, and its influence upon the hearts of men? 

Genesis vi. 3 : ''My Spirit shall not always strive with man." 

174. What is said in the Old Testament in regard to the natural 
corruption of man's moral nature? 

Job XXV. 4: *^How then can man be justified with God? 
or how can he be clean that is born of a' woman?" 

^17 5. Does the Old Testament teach salvation through the suffer- 
ings and death of our Lord ? 

Isaiah liii. 5: " With his stripes we are healed." 

176. Does the Old Testament teach that man is a moral being? 
Yes. Deuteronomy xxx. 19 shows the ability to choose, 

and the evil consequences of not choosing. 

177. What is taught in the Old Testament about repentance? 
That repentance was necessary to obtain blessings from 

the Lord. (Ezekiel xiv. 6 ; xviii. 30.) 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 37 



178. Is the doctrine of faith taught in the Old Testament? 

It is. As in the case of Abraham, it is the condition of 
acceptance with God. 

179. What was the expression of Job's faith? 
^'I know that my Redeemer liveth." 

180. Does the old Testament teach the doctrine of forgiveness of 
sins? 

In the strongest terms possible. (See Exodus xxxiv. 6, 
7.) 

181. Is the doctrine of regeneration taught in the Old Testa- 
ment? 

Yes. " Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and 
cleanse me from my sin." (Psalm li. 2.) " Create in me 
a clean heart, 0 God ; and renew a right spirit within me." 
(Psalm li. 10.) 

182. Is the possibility of falling away from righteousness taught 
in the Old Testament ? 

Most clearly. (See Ezekiel xviii. 24, etc.) 

183. How is the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead taught 
in the Old Testament ? 

Very positively and clearly. " Thy dead men shall 
live." (Isaiah xxvi. 19 ; Job xix. 26.) 

184. Is the idea of a general judgment set forth in the Old Tes- 
tament ? 

Yes. In Ecclesiastes xi. 9, xii. 14 it is strongly stated, 
as it is everywhere in the Bible. 

185. Is the future punishment of the wicked taught in the Old 
Testament ? 

It is. In Psalm ix. 17 : " The wicked shall be turned 
into hell, and all the nations that forget God." 

186. Does the Old Testament teach the future happiness of the 
good? 

Yes. Everlasting life is promised in Daniel xii. 12. 
Psalm xvi. 11 says: "At thy right-hand there are pleas- 
sures for eyermore." 



38 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



187. What eighteen cardinal doctrines of the New Testament do 
we here find taught in the Old Testament ? 

The being of God; the trinity; the unity of God; the 
personality and influence of the Holy Ghost ; the fall and 
depravity of man; moral agency; repentance; faith; for- 
giveness of sins; regeneration, sanctification ; apostasy; the 
resurrection; the general judgment; future punishment; 
and future happiness. 

188. Are these speculative or cardinal doctrines? 

They are cardinal; because upon them the integrity of 
the Church depends. 

189. When were these doctrines first taught? 

There are traces of them from the very beginning. 

190. Can you tell when either of them was first given to the 
world? 

I cannot; for there are evidences of the knowledge of 
some of them before we find any mention of them. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



89 



Chapter IX. 

Tracing the Church Through Its Doctrines to the 
Beginning. 



191. Here are a company of men claiming to be a Church. How 
are we to know whether or not they are such? 

By their doctrines and life. 

192. If in doctrine and deportment we find they come up to the 
Bible standard, can we justly make further demands? 

We might ask ivheii they began to be a Church. 

193. But if, through all the history of the world, we find this 
perfect conformity to the Bible standard, what further can we say? 

If they are a Church now, they were always such. 

194. Here are a company of people called Methodists who claim 
to be a Church. They preach the word of God; they administer itf^ 
sacraments ; they live according to its precepts, and in obedience to its 
commands. Do they constitute a Church ? 

By our Saviour's rule they do. He that gathereth not 
with us scattereth abroad. He that is not against us is on 
our part r 

195. Suppose we show that these people have changed their 
name — that they were once called the "Church of England? " 

That does not change the matter at all. The Church is 
a thing of principle and not of name. 

196. If we apply these reasonings to the Christian Church, what 
will be the result ? 

We will find it holding to doctrines and precepts just as 
these doctrines and precepts were held by the Jews, and, 
before that name was given, by a people called Israelites, 



40 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



197. If these doctrines and precepts constitute a Church among 
people called Christians, would they not constitute a Church called 
by any other name ? 

Certainly. There was the Churcli of the Laodiceans 
(Revelation iii. 14), which was also the Church of God. 

198. How do Churches often take their names? 

From the people or countries in which they have been 
planted. 

199. What is the Church of God among the Jews called? 
The Jewish Church. 

200. What is the Church in Greece called? 
The Greek Church. 

201. Did the Greeks ever make a Church ? 

No. It was once called the Apostolic Church. 

202. Did the apostles ever make a Church? 

No. The Church in which they labored was once called 
"the Church in the wilderness." (Acts vii. 38.) 

203. Was any Church made in the wilderness? 

No; but the Church received a new impetus there, and 
threw more organic life into doctrines and purposes which 
bad existed from the beginning. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



41 



Chapter X. 

Of the History of the World Before the Flood. 



204. How many years did man live and worship God on the 
earth before the flood ? 

It is not definitely known, but is supposed to be about 
sixteen hundred and fifty-six years. 

205. What proportion of the Bible is devoted to that period? 
A little less than one one hundred and sixtieth (yg^) 

part of it. 

206. Is it likely, therefore, that we know more than one one 
hundred and sixtieth {j^j^) part of the facts and occurrences of that 
period ? 

It is not. To give a faithful history of an average 
Sunday-school for one year would require more space than 
that. 

207. Were the people of that period intelligent, and capable of 
understanding the nature of moral law? 

We suppose so ; for God placed the first man under moral 
law — required obedience of him — and others after him 
lived righteously before God. 

208. Can man be obedient if there are no laws or precepts — 
nothing — for him to obey? 

No. Obedience necessarily implies law. 

209. The history mentions the fact that man was driven, after the 
fall, from the garden, and doomed to toil and suffering. Does it tell 
of any moral law being given to him ? 

It does : ^' Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely 
eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 
thou shalt not eat of it ; for in the day that thou eatest 
thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. ii. 16, 17,) 
4 



42 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



210. Are we to infer from this fact that, after the fall, God re- 
leased man from all moral obligation ? 

By no means; for we know that Noah felt the force of 
moral obligation and warned his people, preaching right- 
eousness to them. 

211. What, then, must be our conclusion ? 

That a great deal more was known about the divine wor- 
ship and character than has been handed down to us. 

212. Why is it that, as we come down in the history of the world 
as given in the Bible, the history is more full and satisfactory ? 

Partly because the number of writers has been more 
numerous in every succeeding age, and partly because the 
chances of preserving manuscripts are constantly improv- 
ing; but principally because the facilities for recording 
historic facts have been so much better in every succeeding 
age than in the age preceding it. 

213. Was the art of writing or printing known before the flood? 

No. The only method for preserving historic informa- 
tion was traditional. The father related the facts to his 
son, and he to his son, and so on through generations. 

214. Under these conditions, could we expect a fuller historical 
account of the Church? 

I think not. 

215. Is it reasonable to suppose God would govern a people 
otherwise than intelligently? 

It is not. " He doeth all things well," and " his counsels 
are wise." 

216. With no other history than that contained in the first six 
chapters of Genesis, could we understand any plan of salvation, or 
any mode of worship as of divine origin ? 

It would be impossible to do so. 

217. Could the people have been saved without a plan of salva- 
tion revealed to them? 

They could not. 



ill 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



43 



218. Was it God^s purpose to make the plan of salvation intel- 
ligible ? 

Yes; so plain "that the wayfaring man, though a fool, 
need not err therein.'' 

219. Did the antediluvians need the means of grace? 

Yes; for they had all fallen in sin, and were under the 
curse of the law. 

220. What means of grace were provided? 
Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

221. Why do you think so ? 

Because " there is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts iv. 12.) 

222. Has there ever been a Christ without a Church? 

No; for his "kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and 
his dominion endureth for ever ^ (Psalm cxlv. 13.) 

223. Is there any thing said in the first six chapters of Genesis 
about the influence of the Holy Ghost on the hearts of men? 

No; but we know there was such a thing, because God 
said : " My Spirit shall not always strive with man." (Gen- 
esis vi. 3.) 

224. Is there any thing said about repentance? 

Not a word ; but we know that Cain knew something 
about it, for after the murder of Abel, Cain prayed and 
" said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can 
bear." (Genesis iv. 13.) 

225. What evidence have we that Cain knew something about 
the doctrine of "forgiveness of sins?" 

His language implies it (see margin, Genesis iv. 13): 
"Mine iniquity is greater than that it may he forgiven " 

226. Are these — the influence of the Holy Ghost, repentance, 
and forgiveness of sins — doctrines of the Church ? 

They are, and always have been. 



44 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



237. Was the doctrine of faith known to the people before the 
flood? 

Yes. ^The whole of Noah's conduct in warning the peo- 
ple and preparing the ark, was the result of faith. He 
believed God would do what he had said, and he trusted his 
promise to save him in the ark. 

228. Are these the means by which God in Christ is saving the 
world through the Church? 

Yes; and where these are operating the true elements 
of the Church are at work. 



The Clmirch : What it is and Whence it is. 



45 



Chapter XI. 

From the Flood to the Vocation of Abraham. 



229. How long was it from the flood to the calling of Abraham? 
It was about four hundred and twenty-seven years. 

230. There are eleven chapters of Genesis (excluding the sixth, 
which relates to the beginning of the flood) which treat of this pe- 
riod. How many of them are taken up with an account of the del- 
uge? 

Three. Leaving us eight chapters to give us an histor- 
ical account of four hundred and twenty-seven years. 

231. What are the principal facts recorded in these eight chap- 
ters? 

The peopling of the earth after the flood, the confusion 
of tongues, Abraham's sojourn in Egypt, his return to Pal- 
estine, his war with the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, 
his conference with Melchizedek, the birth of Ishmael, and 
the promise of Isaac. 

232. In all this record is any thing said about the Church ? 
Nothing directly. An altar and a priesthood are men- 
tioned. 

233. What kind of an altar is mentioned? 
One raised for religious service. 

234. What kind of a priest is mentioned? 
A " priest of the Most High God." 

' 235. What is said of this altar in Genesis xiii. 3, 4? 
It was where Abraham had formerly lived. 
236. What did Abraham do when he reached the altar? 
" He called upon the name of the Lord." 



46 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



237. What do these facts tend to show us ? 

That there was a regular system of divine service, with 
all the rites usual in divine worship. 

238. What were the ordinary uses of an altar? 

Sacrifices were oflered upon it, and all devotional exer- 
cises were performed at it. 

239. What were the duties of a priest? 

To perform religious rites for the people, and attend to 
the officers of the Church. 

240. Was the office of a priest a civil office, or one pertaining to 
divine service? 

Melchizedek was both a civil officer and a priest. (Gen- 
esis xiv. 18.) 

241. What did the priest do to Abraham? 
"He blessed him." 

242. What did Abraham (or Abram, as he was then called) do? 
He gave tithes to the priest. 

243. Was giving tithes a custom in the Church? 

Yes. In Hebrews vii. 5 Paul says: "The priesthood 
have a commandment to take tithes of the people, ... of 
their brethren." 

244. To what "priesthood" does he allude? 

The priests of " the Church in the wilderness," of which 
Levi was one. (Hebrews vii. 9.) 

245. As the history becomes more elaborate, what difference do 
we find in the number and nature of historical facts? 

The history enters more into details — states more of the 
methods and conditions of the times. 

246. Was there any mention of a priest in the first one thou- 
sand six hundred and fifty-six years of the world's history? 

There was not. But many facts were stated showing 
that the people had extended knowledge of religious duty 
and privileges. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



47 



247. Does it appear from the record that the priest whom Abra- 
ham met was the first one in the world? 

It does not ; but ou the contrary, the fact is alluded to as 
a common occurrence. 

248. Were the religious customs recorded in the history of the 
world from the flood to the calling of Abraham the same as those 
alluded to in the former period ? 

Precisely the same, as far as the account of them quali- 
fies us to judge. 

249. Were the doctrines of the two periods the same? 
Necessarily so, as the truth cannot change. 

250. Is this fact stated in so many words? 

It is not ; but it results from the unchangeableness of the 
Divine Mind. 

251. If, then, we find that God has plans and purposes by which 
and according to which he is working his sovereign will, how must 
we accept them? 

We must accept them as his eternal plans and purposes. 

252. God is served and glorified through the ministry of his 
Church to-day, and was in the days of the apostles, and in the days of 
Abraham. How was he served and glorified before Abraham's day ? 

Clearly in the same way ; for Jesus says, " Before Abra- 
ham was, I am." 

253. Who acted as priest for Noah immediately after the flood? 
He performed the office of the priesthood to his family 

himself. 

254. What was the very first thing Noah did after the subsid- 
ence of the water? 

He built an altar and offered sacrifices to the Lord. 
(Genesis viii. 21.) 

255. Was that service acceptable to the Lord? 
It was. (Genesis viii. 21.) 

256. Did Noah perform this service as something new or unu- 
sual? 

He did not. It seems to be in keeping with the custom 
before the flood. 



48 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



257. Did Noah speak of the doctrine of divine providence (Gen- 
esis ix. 27) as something new? 

No. In speaking to his son he made no explanation, nor 
did his son ask any. Each acted as if perfectly conversant 
with that sublime doctrine. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 49 



Chapter XII. 

From the Vocation of Abraham to the Building of 
Solomon's Temple. 

258. How long after the calling of ilbraham before Solomon's 
Temple was built ? 

Eight hundred and sixty years. 

259. What was the condition of the people during this period? 
Very much the same as during the preceding periods, 

only the history is still more full and complete. 

260. Are the doctrines of the Church more fully taught? 

In proportion to the amount of space given to the events 
of this period there is really less of the doctrines of the 
Church taught. 

261. Was Abraham wiser in the things of God than Noah or 
Abel? 

There is no evidence of that fact. Abel and Enoch and 
Noah knew enough about Christ our Saviour to be saved 
through his blood. 

262. Is any thing more said in the history of this period about 
the faith and piety of Abraham than Avas said in the history of the 
preceding periods about the faith and piety of others named ? 

There is not. Each is represented by the history of his 
time as having served God acceptably, and as receiving the 
reward of faith. 

263. Are places mentioned in the Bible history of this period 
as places set apart for the worship of God, as something new or un- 
heard of? 

No. As Abel had his altar at which God had respect 
unto Abel and his offerings " (Genesis iv. 4), so Noah had 
his altar (Genesis viii. 20, 21) from which "the Lord 



50 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



smelled a sweet savor," and Abraham his (Genesis xiii. 14), 
where "Abram called on the name of the Lord," and Jacob 
his (Genesis xxxv. 3), so the people of this day had theirs. 

264. What is there peculiar to the history of this period? 
The introduction of circumcision as a sign of citizenship 

in God's kingdom. 

265. Of what agreement was that the seed? 

It was the seal or sign of the covenant between God and 
Abraham. 

266. What is the substance of that agreement? 

To bestow great honor, prosperity, and renown upon 
Abraham and his posterity. 

267. To what did the promise relate? 

St. Paul, in Galatians iii. 16, says it related to Christ: 
''And to thy seed, which is Christ." 

268. Is that the first promise of a Saviour? 

No. More than two thousand years before that, God 
promised a Saviour to Adam and Eve. (Genesis iii. 15 — 
the seed promised to Abraham.) 

269. In what light, then, do you regard this covenant with Abra- 
ham? 

As a renewal of the promise to Adam which had been 
corrupted after the flood. 

270. Was circumcision a national institution? 

It was not so considered by Jacob's sons. (Genesis xxxiv. 
14.) 

271. Did circumcision subject a person to the authority of the 
Jews, and confer the privileges of citizenship, as Jews? 

It did not. (See Genesis xxxiv. 25, 26.) 

272. In what light, then, must we regard the rite of circumcis- 
ion. 

As pertaining to the Church, and not to the nation. 

273. Was this rite practiced by the Church in the wilderness? 
It was. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



51 



Chapter XIII. 

From the Vocation of Abraham to the Building of the 
Second Temple. 



274 . What other fact may we note as peculiar to the history of 
this period? 

The erection of tents, or houses, for the purposes of pub_ 
lie worship. (Exodus xxv. 9.) 

275. Did the Lord bless and honor these places of worship? 
The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle." (Exodus 

xl. 34.) 

276. What changes, if any, took place in the religious services 
of the people when their place of worship was removed from the 
tabernacle to the temple ? 

The services were conducted in the temple, just as they 
had been in the tabernacle. 

277. What class of oflS.cers officiated in the temple? 

The same that had been recognized by the Church for 
hundreds of years. 

278. When our Lord came, did he officiate in the temple? 
He did. 

279. Were there houses of worship built before the temple of 
Solomon ? 

That seems to have been the first substantial structure 
worthy of the name. 

280. What are our church-houses sometimes called? 
God's house, or the house of the Lord. 

281. What is the meaning of "the house of the Lord? " 

It is the building in which the Church of God worships 
him. 



52 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



282. Does history inform as of any such buildings in any coun- 
try where there is no Church ? 

It does not; except some heathen temples dedicated to 
some carnal thing, called god. 

283. Do you know of any "house of God'' spoken of in the 
Bible as the meeting-place of the faithful ? 

Before the children of Israel went to war against Benja- 
min, they all went " up to the house of the Lord " to pray 
for guidance. 

284. After the defeat in the first engagement, what did they do? 
They " went up to the house of the Lord and wept," 

and prayed for future guidance. 

285. Who was Azariah ? 

The ruler of the house of God." (2 Chronicles xxxi. 

13.) 

286. Who were the sons of Eleazar? 

They were governors of the house of God." 

287. By whom are the houses of the Lord built, and who govern 
them? 

God's people — his servants and ministers. 

288. Did the servants of God meet as a Church in the "taber- 
nacle in the wilderness," and then and there worship God according 
to his commands? 

They did. (Leviticus viii. 1, et aL) 

289. How is God worshiped in the Church now? 
Precisely as he was worshiped in the Church in the 

wilderness. His servants meet at his house, and worship 
him according to his commands. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 53 



Chapter XIV. 

Application of the FonEGOiNa Facts. 



290. What do the foregoing facts go to prove ? 
That God has always had a people — a Church. 

291. Why do they go to prove that? 

Because they show that he has always been worshiped 
by the good people according to his will. 

292. How do these facts show this? 

They show that he has always had (1) a people, (2) a 
ministry, and C3) " ordinances of divine service." 

293. Do these three things necessarily appertain to a Church? 
Yes. God's people, with his ordinances and a ministry 

of his appointing, worshiping him according to his will, 
always constitute a Church. 

294. What was the first method of ministering in the Church 
called ? 

Patriarchal. 

295. Why is it called the patriarchal age of the Church ? 
Because it was an age in which the father of the family 

performed all the religious services for his household. 

296. To what period of the world's history did the patriarchal 
age extend? 

To the time of the exodus from Egypt. 

297. What was the second period called ? 
The Levitical age. 

298. Why was this period called the Levitical age of the 
Church? 

Because the priests — sons of Levi— performed the rites of 
the Church for all the people. 



54 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



299. What else is the Church under the priesthood sometimes 
called? 

The Jewish Church. 

300. What was the Church called in the third period of its 
history ? 

The Christian Church. 

301. Why was it called a Christian Church ? 

Because some of the common people of Antioch gave the 
name of Christian to those who followed Christ. 

302. Did these different names change the nature of the Church 
in its doctrines or its fidelity to God and righteousness ? 

They did not. We have seen that its doctrines, its aims, 
and its plans have been the same through all ages. 

303. If its constitution has always been the same that it is now, 
why did it move so slowly before our Lord's incarnation? 

There are perhaps many reasons. There were no whole- 
some international regulations in existence; there were al- 
most constant agitations on account of wars ; and finally, it 
is impossible to know to, what extent it did spread, as we 
have lost sight of about half the descendants of Abraham. 

304. Was the Church not shut up with the Jews, and all the 
rest of the world excluded? 

No. Such an idea is utterly unfounded, and contrary to 
the great purpose of God in ordaining the Church as a 
means of saving the world. 



The Chnrch : What it is and Whence it is. 



55 



Chapter XV. 

The Apostolic Period of the Church. 



305. What did the Church teach in this period in regard to 
faith? 

That it was the condition of acceptance with God. 
(Romans x. 4.) 

306. What did it teach in the Abrahamic period? 

It taught just the same doctrine. (Genesis xv. 6.) 

307. What was the principal cause of the increased spread of 
the Churchj during and after the apostolic day ? 

The almost universal intercourse between the nations of 
the earth, the vigorous persecutions of the "Christians" by 
those who rejected Christ, and the consequent dispersion of 
the believers through all the earth." 

308. What great analogy do we find between this period and the 
latter part of the patriarchal period ? 

The power to work miracles. 

309. To whom was this power given? 

To those who w^ere charged with the leadership. 

310. For what purpose was this power given? 

That the world might know that the leaders were acting 
under God. 

311. What influence did the missionary system of operations 
have in advancing the Church under the apostolic oversight? 

The influence of the missionary system w^as very power- 
ful. 



56 



The Chureh : What it is and Whence it is. 



312. What is the probable reason that this system — of mission- 
ary operations — was not inaugurated at an earlier period ? 

The same doubtless which prevented the Church from 
spreading into all countries, viz., the constantly recurring 
wars between the different nations, and the consequent 
hostility between the subjects of those nations. 

313. Were any new doctrines introduced into the Church during 
the apostolic period ? 

Not a single one. 

314. Were any new forms of worship introduced during this 
period. 

There is no mention of any. 

315. Was there any complaint in the Church as to its defective- 
ness? 

There was no complaint of any want of forms, nor of 
any wrong forms of service, but the Lord did complain of 
a want of piety. 

316. Did our Lord indorse the customs of the Church as they 
existed when he came? 

Yes, In Matthew xxiii. 23. 

317. Did our Lord ever condemn any of the doctrines or cus- 
toms of the Church as he found them? 

He did not; but told the people that they ought to give 
" tithes of mint and anise and cummin," and attend also 
to "the weightier matters of the law.'' (See Matthew 
xxiii. 23.) 

318. Was any controversy carried on by our Lord, or any of the 
apostles, about the doctrines or ordinances of the Church? 

No. We have seen that the doctrines were the same 
from the beginning, and our Lord submitted to all the 
ordinances. "Circumcised the eighth day" (Luke ii. 
21); kept the passover (Luke xxii. 15); taught in the 
temple (Luke xxi. 37)j and in the synagogue (Luke xlii. 
15). 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



57 



319. What was the great question in the Church during this 
period ? 

Whether this man Jesus was the Christ so long looked 
for by the Church, or should they look for another. (Luke 
vii. 19; Matthew xi. 13.) 

320. Did the apostles raise any question about the rite of cir- 
cumcision ? 

They did not. 

321. Who raised the question? 

Unbelieving Jews — men which came down from Ju- 
dea " — insisted that converted heathens ought to be circum- 
cised. (Acts XV. 1.) 

322. Was any complaint raised against our Lord for introducing 
new customs? 

No. The charge against him was that he claimed to be 
the Christ of the Bible, and coequal with the Father. 

323. What charge was brought against Paul and Silas by some 
of the Komans at Philippi? 

That they taught customs which were contrary to the 
Koman government. ( Acts xvi. 21.) 

324. By whom was our Lord tried and sentenced to die? 
By the Jews. 

325. Had the Jews any civil or national existence at that time? 
They had not; they were under the Roman government. 

326. What privileges were accorded them bv the Romans? 
They were permitted to keep up their Church, and ob- 
serve all its rites and ceremonies. 

327. Was our Lord tried bv a civil court, or bv an ecclesiastical 
court? 

He was tried by the Church. 

328. Who presided over the court during the trial? 

The high-priest, first ; after which he was carried before 
Pilate, who sentenced him. 

5 



58 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



329. Could the high-priest have tried a citizen who was not a 
member of the Church ? 

He could not; nor sentence Jesus to death without au- 
thority from the Roman government. 

330. When they dragged the Saviour before a Eoman officer 
Pilate, what did they do ? 

They added the charge of treason against Ccesar to the 
charge of blasphemy, which had been tried before Caiaphas. 
(See Mark xiv. 61-65. Compare John xix. 12, IS.) 

331. Did our Lord object to the jurisdiction of the chief priest 
and elders? 

He did not. 

332. Was he tried by the Jews just as all officers in the Church 
were tried ? 

He was. 

333. Was the death-sentence executed under the Koman or the 
Jewish law? 

Under the Roman law. 

334. Were the Jews permitted to observe their regular customs 
in regard to removing the body from the cross before the Sabbath? 

They were ; but the burial and guard were under Roman 
authority. 

335. What do these facts prove ? 

That our Saviour belonged to the Church which existed 
in Jerusalem at his birth, and he was tried as a member of 
it ; that he recognized his membership in it, and yielded to 
its authority. 

336. Does 1 Corinthians xii. 28 indicate a new Church organiza- 
tion? 

No ; it shows that a great diversity of gifts has charac- 
terized the Church in its history and progress. 

337. Were "prophets," "teachers," "miracles," and "gifts of 
healings" in the Church before the times of the apostles? 

Yes. Elisha was a prophet, Noah was a teacher, Moses 
wrought miracles before the court of Pharaoh, and Elijah 
healed Naaman. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



59 



338. Does not Daniel prophesy that God would set up a new 
kingdom about the time of Christ's coming upon earth (Daniel ii. 
44)? 

Nothing is said about Christ in the prophecy alluded to. 

339. What kings are here alluded to? 

Commentators think the allusion is to the seven great 
monarchies of the world. 

340. Who was the last one of these "kings?" 
Constantine the First. 

341. How long after the day of Pentecost before the birth of 
Constantine I. ? 

Nearly three hundred years. 

342. When would the "kingdom" have been organized accord- 
ing to that prophecy f 

It would have been " in the days of these kings." 

343. What does that mean? 

It means the process of setting up the kingdom would 
have been during the reign of the first king, and the setting 
up consummated during the reign of the last one — " in the 
days of these kings." 

344. Was the Church, the kingdom of God, set up before any of 
" these kings " began to reign ? 

Yes ; and more than three thousand years before Daniel 
was born. 



60 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XVI. 

Changing the Sacraments of the Church. 

345. What is a sacrament ? 

A sacrament is an obligation, or more properly a bind- 
ing. 

346. What is the difference between an obligation and the mode 
of expressing the obligation? 

The obligation arises from the agreement or covenant, 
and the expression of the obligation may be by note, bond, 
deed, etc. 

347. Why are baptism and the Lord's Supper called sacra- 
ments?'' 

For the same reason that a note or bond is said to be an 
obligation to pay. 

348. Why so? 

As the note is the expression of the obligation to pay, so 
baptism, etc., are the expressions of the obligation to love 
and serve God. 

349. What was circumcision the expression of? 

It was the expression of the Abrahamic covenant. (Gen- 
esis xvii.) 

350. What was that covenant? 

That Abraham should be faithful, and that God would 
make him the honored progenitor of Christ. (See Gala- 
tians iii. 16, 17.) 

351. What did God call the circumcision? 
He called it a covenant. 

352. Why? 

Because in that case it constituted a part of the agree- 
ment or covenant. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



61 



353. Was that covenant entered into before the law was given 
to Moses? 

Yes. Four hundred and thirty years before. 

354. Why was it not annulled by the law? 

Because the truth of God's promise to give Christ to the 
world was embodied in it. 

355. What would have been the effect if the law had annulled 
this covenant? 

• It would have made " the promise of none effect." (See 
Galatians iii. 17.) 

356. But when the promise was fulfilled, and a Christ born into 
the world, would the continuance of the sign or expression of the 
covenant have been in harmony with the facts in the case ? 

No. It would have been a virtual rejection of Christ. 

357. Who gave up this sacrament (of circumcision) after Christ 
came? and who held on to it? 

That portion of the Church which rejected him held to 
the sacrament, while all that portion of it which received 
him surrendered it. 

358. Was it necessary that there should be an expression of the 
obligation the people were under to God ? 

It was ; and so our Lord substituted another sacrament. 

359. What sacrament did our Lord substitute for circumcision? 
The sacrament of baptism. 

360. When did he ordain that substitute? 

When he sent the apostles out to "go into all the world 
and preach the gospel to every creature, baptizing them in 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy 
Ghost." 

361. Was that instituting a new sacrament? 

No. The sacrament, the obligation, was the same — 
fidelity on the part of man by the grace of God in Christ, 
both before and after his personal coming. 



62 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



362. What did circumcision before the coming of Christ show? 
That the subject had entered into covenant relations 

with God. (Genesis xvii. 11.) 

363. What did baptism after Christ came signify? 

That the subject of it had entered into covenant rela- 
tions with God. 

364. Was the sacrament the same, unbroken and unchanged, 
both before and after Christ came in person to. the earth ? 

It was. The only change made was in the expression of 
the sacrament. 

365. What was the difference, if any, in the effect of the two 
sacraments ? 

There w^as no difference. Before Christ came, circumcis- 
ion was the door into the Church; and after he came, bap- 
tism was the door into the Church. 

366. Why was the mode of expressing the obligations of this 
relationship changed ? 

Because as circumcision pointed to Christ promised, it wa^s 
in its nature prospective — i. e., looked to sonjething in the 
future; but as baptism pointed to Christ given, it was in its 
nature retrospective — i. e., looking to something in the 
past. 

367. Were those early Christians who had been initiated into the 
Church by circumcision afterward baptized ? 

There is no evidence of any thing of the kind, and all 
the force of law and custom is against such a supposition. 

368. Was John the Baptist or any of the apostles baptized? 
They were not. 

369. How, then, were they brought into the Church? 
By circumcision, of course. 

370. What relation did John the Baptist sustain to the Church? 
He was the son of a priest, and under the law succeeded 

to the priesthood. 



The Chnrch: What it w and Whence it is. 63 



371. Before Christ came, who administered the initiatory rite — 
circumcision? 

The priest. 

372. After Christ came, who administered the initiatory rite — 
baptism — as preparatory to our Lord's entering upon his public 
work ? 

John the Baptist, who, according to the law of succession 
established by God for the priesthood, was a priest in the 
Church. 

373. If Jesus had been initiated into the Church by circumcis- 
ion, why was he afterward baptized? 

For two reasons, perhaps. First, being about to enter the 
priest's office himself, it was necessary for him to be initi- 
ated into office by some mode, and this was the mode 
adopted. 

374. What was the other reason for his baptism? 

To accept baptism as a substitute for circumcision, that 
he might set an example for uS.* 

375. Would not our Lord succeed to the office of priest just as 
John did, without any extraordinary initiation? 

No ; for he sprung from the tribe of Judah, of whom 
nothing was said concerning the priesthood.'' (Hebrews vii. 
14.) 

376. Was the introduction of the rite called baptism at that 
time regarded by the Church as something new or unheard of? 

No. Even the unbelieving Jews accepted it as a usual 
thing, and in' all their murmu rings against the believing 
Jews never raised a question on that subject. They simply 
insisted on the old mode of expressing that obligation. 

377. Besides circumcision, what was the other sacrament in the 
Church prior to our Lord's personal coming? 

The sacrament of the passover. 

378. Of what was that the expression? 

Of the obligation of the people to God for his mercy in 



64 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



passing over their houses when he slew all the first-born of 
Egypt. (Exodus xii. 27.) 

379. How could this be a sacrament? 

It represented the passing over the just when the Judge 
shall come to punish the wicked, while the blood (the sign 
of it, on the " door-posts ") and the lamb represented the 
Redeemer — "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the 
world." 

380. What other analogy may be drawn from the passover? 
Eeligion is peace, protection, and safety ; and this is what 

the passover commemorated. 

381i Why were the people instructed to perpetuate the commem- 
oration of the deliverance from the destroying-angel? 

In order to impress upon the Israelitish mind the iiiercy 
of God in passing his judgments over the righteous, and in 
granting deliverance to the oppressed. 

382. What else did this sacrament express? 
Diliverance from helpless and hopeless bondage. 

383. How did the people celebrate the passover? 
They ate the paschal lamb and unleavened bread. 

384. To what did the paschal lamb direct their minds? 

To " the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the 
world/' 

385. To what else did the passover allude? 

To " Christ, our Passover.'' (See 1 Corinthians v. 7. ) 

386. What, then, was the nature of the sacrament of the pass- 
over ? 

It was prospective. It had reference to the Christ of 
promise, 

387. Could this sacrament have been continued after Christ had 
come? 

It could not. Its continuance would have been a stand- 
ing expression of disbelief in the personal Christ. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



65 



388, What is the natiii*e of the ^' sacrament of the Lord's Sup- 
per?'^ 

It is retrospective and commemorative — i. e,, it looks 
back to a personal Christ, and " commemorates his death and 
sufferings." 

389. By whom was this sign or expression of God's delivering 
mercy changed? 

By our Lord. (Matthew xxvi. 26-30.) 

390. Was the sacrament or obligation changed? 

No change was made except in the mode of expressing 
the sacrament by the condition of things. 

391, What were the conditions which made a change in the 
mode of expressing the sacrament necessary ? 

(1) They signified the coming and crucifying of the 
Lord. (2) After he came and was crucified, there was no 
fact of promise for them to signify. (3) As they signified 
the coming of Christ, to continue them after he came would 
have been, in effect, a denial of him. 

393. How was circumcision used? 

As an act of consecration to the Lord by which his bless- 
ing and favor were secured. (Genesis xvii. 14.) 

393. How could this secure his blessing? 

Just as the performance of any other duty secures his 
favor. Our Lord said : Well done, thou good and faithful 
servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will 
make thee ruler over many things. Enter thou into the joys 
of thy Lord.'' (Matthew xxv. 21.) 

394. To whom was it administered? 

To infants, youths, old people, and all — bond or free. 
(Genesis xvii. 12, 13.) 

395. To whom should baptism be administered ? 

As baptism takes the place of circumcision as an act of 
consecration, it ought to be administered to all classes to 
whom circumcision was administered. 



66 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



396. To whom does Trer.seus say the apostles administered bap- 
tism? 

To ''infants, youths, elder people, and all." 

397. To whom did our Lord say baptism should be adminis- 
tered? 

To '' all nations." 

398. Are children included in "all nations?" 

Yes; because all nations are composed, or made up, of 
men, women, and children. 

399. Was no condition expressed as to what particular part of 
the population of "all nations" should be baptized? 

No. Our Lord simply told the disciples to " go teach all 
nations, baptizing them," etc. (Matthew xxviii. 19.) 

400. Could the apostles baptize women under this commission? 
Yes ; because women are a part of '' the nations." 

401. Could the apostles, under this commission, decline to bap- 
tize children ? 

They could not; for children are as much a part of ''all 
nations " as men and women are. 

402. Whom did Paul and Silas baptize under this authority ? 
Lydia and "her household " (Acts xvi. 14, 15) ; the jailer 

"and all his" (Acts xvi. 33); and "the household of Ste- 
phanas" (1 Corinthians i. 16). 

403. Who constitute a "household?" 

The family — parents, children, and servants. 

404. Of whom do we speak when we speak of a man "and all 
his?" 

Of all who are under his protection and control. 

405. Who, then, are embraced in these baptisms? 

The heads of these families and all their children and 
servants. 

406. Does this agree with the purpose of this sacrament as an 
act of consecration to the Lord? 

Yes ; " for the promise is unto you and to your children, 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



67 



and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our 
God shall call/' (Acts ii. 39.) 
407. Whom has the Lord "called?" 

He has called " all nations" — men, women, and children. 
" Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earths 
(Isaiah xlv. 22.) 

Note. — This is the mode by which the acceptance of the call is signified; 
and as it is the parent's duty to cause his infants to recognize his friends, so 
they should be caused, in this solemn way, to recognize him who is the best 
Friend. 



68 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XVII. 

Of the Oneness of the Church — The Church the Same 
Both Before and After Our Lord Came on Earth. 



408. Where did the doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ 
originate ? 

In, or near, the garden of Eden. 

409. When did the Church first take the name of Christian? 
About fifteen years after John the Baptist was beheaded. 

410. Where was the term "Christian'^ first applied to the 
Church? 

At Antioch. 

411. By whom? 

By the opposers of the Church, and in derision of the 
cause of Christ. 

412. Where is Antioch? 

Antioch is, or was at that time, a city of Syria, and the 
capital of that country. 

413. Does the fact that the forms of worship before the coming 
of Christ upon earth were different from the forms of worship after 
he came show that there have been two Churches or two religions ? 

It does not ; for even now the forms of service and modes 
of worship differ, in different Churches of the " same faith 
and order.'' 

414. Does the fact that the Baptist Church at one place allows 
members of the Baptist Church at another place to commune with 
it, while the Church at another place does not allow the Church at 
the former place to commune with it, prove that the one is a Church 
and the other is no^f 

No. The doctrines in each being exactly the same, and 
all that relates to spirituality being identically similar, if 
one is a Church the other is also. 



69 



415. Was the Church before Christ and after Christ the same? 
Yes. As we have seen, the doctrines and all relating to 

spirituality were always just what we find them to-day. 

416. What is religion ? 

Religion, says Dr. Buck, is tiiat obligation which we feel 
on our minds from the relation which we sustain to some 
superior power. 

417. What does the word religion mean? 
It means to bind anew. 

418. Speaking of religion as it pertains to the Church, what is it? 
It is that obligation which we feel in our minds from the 

relation we sustain to God. 

419. In its more practical sense, what does the word religion ex- 
press? 

It expresses " a life devoted to the fear and worship of 
God." (See Dr. Buck, ibid.) 

420. Have the obligations or the relations of man to God 
changed since the fall? 

No. They are and always have been the same. 

421. Are not these relations and obligations provided for in the 
Church? 

Yes. God always required men to fear and serve him. 

422. How were they required to fear and serve him? 

By such methods as from time to time he revealed to 
them. 

423. As we have seen, the methods have been different in differ- 
ent ages. Does this mean that the relations and obligations have 
also been different ? 

By no means. It only shows that the relations have 
been kept up to the intensified obligations of men. 

424. Is there any true religion outside* of the Church? 
There is not; and in the nature of things cannot be. 

425. Were Enoch, and Elijah, and Abraham, David, Samuel, 
etc. (Hebrews xi.) religious people? 

They were, in the truest sense. (Hebrews xi. 39, 40.) 



70 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



426. Then what follows as the only rational conclusion? 
That the Church of God — his religion — is now and al- 
ways has been in the world, unchanged and unchangeable. 

427. Did either of the apostles join the Church after they were 
called to the apostleship, and if not, why? 

There is no evidence that they joined the Church after 
they were " called to be apostles/^ and, no doubt, for the 
reason that they were already members of the Church. 

428. To what Church were "three thousand added" on the day 
of Pentecost? (Acts ii. 41.) 

To the " Church " that was in the wilderness, which our 
fathers brought in with Jesus unto the promised land." 
(Acts vii. 38-45.) 

429. Why do you suppose that they joined what is sometimes 
called the old Jewish Church f 

Because there was no other Church in existence. 

430. Was there no "Christian Church" then as separate and 
distinct from the "Jewish Church ? " 

No. It was several years after that before the name 
'^Christian " was given to the disciples." (See Acts xi. 
26.) 

431. Was the Church ever called the " Christian Church " in the 
apostolic age? 

It was not. 

432. To whom, then, was this name "Christian" applied? 

To those at Antioch who followed Christ or accepted him 
as the Messiah of the Old Testament. 

433. Then why do we speak of the ^'Jewish Church" and the 
'^Christian Church" as different organizations? 

It is merely the force of habit, acquired under the influ- 
ence of improper teachiug. 

Note. — This is a most pernicious habit, contrary to all truth, and contrary 
to all sound theology, and ouoht to be discarded. When you speak of the 
" Church" you nnean the "Church of God," which, like himself, "is the same 
yesterdaj% to-day, and forever." 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



71 



Chapter XVIII. 

Of the Post-apostolic History of the Church Officiary. 



434. AVhat is the source of information concerning the Church 
after the apostolic times? 

The writings of profane or uninspired men. 

435. At what date does the Xew Testament history close? 
About A.D. 63 or 64, as far as the "Acts of the Apostles 

is concerned. 

436. Do the Epistles furnish any historical information concern- 
ing the Church? 

They do. Particularly those to Timothy and Titus. 

437. What is the date of these Epistles? 

The date is not certainly known; but it is believed they 
were written shortly after the Acts of the Apostles — about 
66 or 67 A.D. 

438. What were the principal officers of the Church at the close 
of the apostolic history ? 

Deacons, elders (or presbyters), and bishops. 

439. What were the duties of a deacon ? 

At first the deacons were a sort of stewards, whose duty 
it was to watch after the poor of the Church and supply 
their wants ; but afterward they became helpers in the min- 
istry. 

440. What was the duty of the elders? 

It was the duty of the elders to perform all the functions 
of the ministry. 

441. What was the duty of the bishops ? 

They were, in a modified sense, the overseers of the 
Church, presiding over the elders, and directing them iiJi 
their labors. 



72 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



443. What gave rise to the iDstitution of the office of deacon? 

The great demand upon tlie apostles' time made it nec- 
essary that some should be set apart to assist them in their 
work. (Acts vi., etc.) 

443. What gave rise to the office of elder? 

As religious ofScers they seem to have existed from time 
immemorial; but as civil officers they were appointed by 
Moses to aid hiiii in the judicial affairs of the Israelites. 
(Exodus xviii. 12, etc.) 

444. What gave rise to the office of bishop? 

It is necessary that some one preside over all deliberative 
bodies; and in the first councils of the apostles the presid- 
ing officer was called a bishop. 

445. Who first obtained this title? 
James, the Less. 

446. What title is given our Lord? 

He is called "the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls." 

447. Whv was he so called? 

Because we are under his watchful care and authority. 

448. Were females permitted to fill these offices? 

Women were appointed in the office of deacon, but not 
in that of elder or bishop. 

449. Whv were women fitted for the office of deacon and not for 
that of elder or bishop? 

The work of an elder and bishop was of an itinerant 
character, while that of a deacon was a resident office. 

450. What was the difference between an elder and a bishop? 
The episcopacy, or office of bishop, was an office filled 

by one of the elders. 

451. What were the forms of worship in the apostolic period of 
the Church? 

Very much the same as in all preceding time. They 
met together on the Sabbath — the first day of the week — 
and read and expounded the Scriptures; prayed, sung 



The Church : Wliat it is cmd Whence it iV. 



73 



hymns, and closed the exercises with oblations of bread, 
wine, and other things. 

452. Were the oblations typical of any thing? 
No. They were for the poor of the Church. 

453. How came the apostles to observe the first instead of the 
seventh day of the week, as was the custom before their day? 

As the resurrection took place on the first day of the 
week, and as the law gave no particular day from which 
the days were to be counted, acting under divine influence, 
they made such change as enabled them to celebrate the 
completion of both the physical and spiritual work of God 
on the same day. 

454. Were the forms of worship, the rites and ceremonies, the 
same in all Churches? 

No. In some of them the rite of circumcision was kept 
up, while in others it was discontinued. (Acts xvi. 15, 23, 
24.) 

455. What is the difference between the forms of service in the 
Church now as compared to the forms before the birth of our Lord? 

The difference consists in the abandonment of all the 
ceremonies of the Church referring to the Christ to come, 
the adoption of others which had reference to a Saviour 
given, and the sacred observance of the first day of the 
week. 

456. Was the seventh day given over to ordinary pursuits? 
Not till a long time after the adoption of the first day. 

The seventh was observed with religious fidelity. 

457. Why was the system of oblations so sacredly observed by 
the Jews kept up after the apostolic day? 

It was necessary to the support of the Church and the 
^maintenance of the poor. 
6 



74 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XIX. 

The Support of the Mi^^istry both Before and After the 
Coming of Christ. 



458. How were the ministers supported before the coming of 
Christ? 

By the offerings (oblations) of the people. 

459. What proportion of their income did the people give? 
One-tenth *'of all their substance." 

460. What does Paul say of this plan for the support of the 
ministry after the apostolic times? 

That as God had ordained this for those who served in 
the temple, so it was to be perpetuated for those who con- 
tinued to preach the gospel. (1 Corinthians ix. 13, 14.) 

461. Did not those ministers of the Church before Christ came 
preach the gospel? 

Yes. Paul says the gospel, in the days of " Esaias/' was 
not believed (Komans x. 16), and that " the gospel was 
preached before to Abraham." (Galatians iii. 8.) 

462. What does Paul mean (Philippians iv. 15) by "the begin- 
ning of the gospel?" 

The introduction of the gospel at Philippi, when he went 
there from Macedonia. 

463. When was that? 

In A.D. 50 (see Home's Chronology), about seventeen 
years after the day of Pentecost. 

464. When was the law — as the Lord hath prospered,'* "a tenth 
of all their substance " — introduced? 

It is not known. The custom is a very ancient one. 
Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. (Genesis xiv. 20; 
Leviticus xxvii. 30-32.) 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



75 



465. What does our Lord say about it in Matthew xxiii. 23? 

" Ye pay tithes of mint," etc., *^aiid neglect the weightier 
matters of the law," etc. " These ought ye to have done, and 
not to leave the other undone." [I have italicized the words 
in the text to show the connection of thought. — Author.] 

466. What advice does Paul give to the Corinthians on this 
subject? 

" Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay 
by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be 
no gathering when I come." 

467. Is there any other provision in the Bible for the support of 
the ministry than that given before the apostolic day ? 

There is not. Oflerings according to the degree of suc- 
cess in business is the only gospel plan. 

468. Does the New Testament place the Church under obliga- 
tions to support the ministry? 

Yes. In 1 Corinthians ix. 7, St. Paul compares the min- 
istry to a soldier entitled to pay; to a planter who culti- 
vates his field, and is entitled to its produce; and to a 
herdsman, who, giving his time to the care of his flock, is 
entitled to the milk of the flock. 

469. What does he say (1 Corinthians ix. 9) of Deuteronomy 
XXV. 4 — ^^Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth 
out the corn?" 

He says, " For our sakes, no doubt, this is written." 

470. Of whom was he speaking — "o2ir sakes?" 

Of himself and Barnabas, and "other apostles." (2 
Corinthians ix. 5, 6.) 

471. Did he argue this as a personal opinion ? 

No. He argued it as the teaching of the law. (Verse 8.) 

472. What did our Lord tell the seventy whom he sent out to 
preach ? 

"The laborer is worthy of his hire." (Luke x. 7.) 

473. How does Paul argue this question of ministerial support 
in Romans x. 14, 15? 

The people cannot believe in the Saviour unless they 



76 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



hear of him, and they cannot hear of him unless he is 
preached to them, and there is no one to preach to them 
unless he be sent. 

474. What is the logical conclusion of such reasoning? 

On the support of the ministry depend the prosperity of 
the Church and the salvation of souls. 

475. Did our Lord permit those whom he sent out to entangle 
themselves in secular cares in order to make a living ? 

No. He bid them ''carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor 
shoes ; and salute no man by the way." (Luke x. 4.) 

476. What was the object of this command? 

That they might be given wholly to the ministry. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



77 



Chapter XX. 

Of Schisms in the Church Befoee Cheist Came. 



477. What were the different parties called which sprung np 
in the Church before the coming of Christ? 

Some were called Pharisees, some Sadclucees, and some 
Essenes. 

478. Who were the most influential of these sects? 

The Pharisees, who had held on more closely to the orig- 
inal forms and ceremonies of "the Church in the wilder- 
ness." 

479. What other fact contributed to enlarge the power and in- 
fluence of the sect of the Pharisees ? 

The fact that they held all the civil autTiority of the 
State or country of the Jews. 

480. What was the only real question and difference between 
the Pharisees and John the Baptist? 

John, in the true spirit of his religion, believed that Je- 
sus was the Christ so long promised, while the Pharisee, 
in pride and arrogance, denied that Jesus was " the Christ.'' 

481. What was the principal difference between the Pharisees 
and Sadducees? 

The Sadducees rejected the doctrine of the immortality 
of the soul, and consequently rejected also the doctrine 
concerning angels. 

482. What was the difference between the Essenes and Phari- 
sees? 

The Essenes rejected all the law except what they thought 



78 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



embraced in the spirit; hence their lives were spent in con- 
templation and abstinence. 

Note. — This idea is condensed from Mosheim as the best we can now give; 
but there seem to be traces of a better character and a better religion for the 
Essenes than this. I doubt if they were a whit behind the Pharisees in spiri 
of the Church and her teachings. 

483. Who were Jews? 

The term Jew embraced all the classes, and may be said 
to constitute a fourth class, under the title of Judaism — 
more nearly correct in their doctrines and morals than 
either of the others. 

484. How, then, may the state of the Church be expressed? 
As Judaism, Phariseeism, Sadduceeism, and Essenism — 

the last three as sects or factions in the Church. 

485. Were there other sects in those days? 

Yes; as the Herodians, Epicureans, Academics, Stoics, 
etc. 

486. Were these religious sects? * 

They seem to have been scientists who were constantly 
weaving religious ideas into their philosophy, but were in 
no way connected with the Church as bodies. 

487. What may be said of the Samaritans? 

The Samaritans were Jews by descent, who confidently 
looked for the coming of the Messiah promised in the 
Bible. (John iv. 12-25.) 



The Church : What it is arid Whence it is. 



79 



Chapter XXI. 

Of the First Century After Christ. 

488. Did any changes take place in the Church during the first 
hundred years of our Lord? 

Yes. In regard to baj^tism and church-houses. 

489. What change took place in regard to baptism? 

The bishops began to exercise the exclusive right to ad- 
minister that ordinance. 

490. Was there any change during the first century in regard to 
the mode of administering baptism, or touching the subjects to whom 
it was administered ? 

There was none. It was administered just as it was by 
the apostles ; at least in so far as the mode and subject were 
concerned. 

491. W^hat do you mean by the mode of baptism? 

I mean the way it is done. Dipping is one mode, and 
pouring is another mode. 

492. What do you mean by the subject of baptism f 
By the subject I mean the person to be baptized. 

493. Who were proper subjects in the apostolic ministry? 
Entire households — each and every member of the fam- 
ily of a professor of Christianity. 

494. What evidence have we of this fact? 

The testimony of Paul, who says : " I baptized the house- 
hold of Stephanas." (1 Corinthians 1-16.) 

495. What testimony does Luke bear to this question? 

He says that " Lydia was baptized, and her household.'' 
(Acts xvi. 15.) 



80 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



496. What further testimony have we from the Holy Scriptures 
which goes to show that the custom of the disciples was to baptize 
whole families? 

The further declaration of Luke, who tells us that the 
jailer was baptized, ^^he and all his." (Acts xvi. 33.) 

497. Was the custom of baptizing whole families objected to 
during the first hundred years after Christ? 

No. There was no objection to it for over two hundred 
years after our Lord. 

498. Who was the first one to object to the baptism of children? 
Tertullian, who lived in the third century. 

499. Why did he object to it? 

Because he conceived the idea that a part of the race of 
man was predestinated to eternal death, and infants so pre- 
destinated could not be benefited by baptism. 

500. Did Tertullian ever argue that the apostles did not bap- 
tize children? 

No. His argument was strictly on the ground that if 
God had determined to damn them, it was no use to bap- 
tize them. 

501. What change took place during the first century in regard 
to meeting-houses? 

At first the people worshiped in the synagogues; but 
during this century they began to build or in some way 
procure houses of worship in places where there were no 
synagogues. 

502. How did Paul get his house in Kome? 

He hired" or rented it. (See Acts xxviii. 30, 31.) 

503. Why did the followers of Jesus quit the use of the syna- 
gogues ? 

Because they had extended their cause beyond the bor- 
ders of Palestine — or Canaan as it was called — and there 
were no synagogues among the Gentile nations. Besides 
this, a majority (or at least the controlling part) of the 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



81 



Jews rejected our Lord, and continued to make a show of 
the typical forras of worship. 

504. Wiis the Church troubled with backsliders — or what is 
worse, with apostates, or fallen men — during the first century? 

Yes. Even in the times of the apostles, Philetus, Her- 
mogenes, Demas, and Diotrephes gave the Church consid- 
erable trouble. 

505. What was the attitude of the philosophers or scientists of 
that day to the Church ? 

They were hostile to all its teachings. 

506. By what name was the principal philosophers called? 

Gnostics. They discussed in a very arrogant and self- 
sufficient way the creation of the world, and the introduc- 
tion of evil into it. 

507. Did they oppose the doctrine of a divine revelation? 
Yes; and went so far as to insist that the knowledge of 

God had been lost, and that they were able to restore it 
without the aid of revelation. 

508. Those recent attacks made by Ingersoll and others, then, 
are nothing new? 

No. The " wisdom of this world " has always been op- 
posed to the knowledge of God. 

509. If the Church when so feeble was able, through the merit 
of its doctrines and purity, to overcome such opposition as was 
brought against it by Gnostics, what has it to fear now it has gath- 
ered nations into its bosom ? 

The Church has nothing to fear save the displeasure of 
God. 

510. Did the Gnostics ever acquire strength enough to embarrass 
the teachings of the Church ? 

Not to any considerable extent; yet in the reign of 
Adrian they became quite numerous and influential. 

511. Did the teachings of Aristotle have any influence contrary to 
the best interests of the Church ? 

Yes. His teachings served as a support to those who 



82 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



were opposed to " pure religion and undefiled before God 
and the Father." 

512. Why have men who speculate in metaphysics always op- 
posed the Church ? 

Because the Church accepts revelations of fact as con- 
clusive, while these ^^reasoners" insist on following the 
bent of their own minds to conclusions suited to their own 
views. 

513. Does the Bible reveal any thing contrary to human reason? 
It does not. 

514. What is necessary in order to determine the reasonableness 
or unreasonableness of a proposition? 

A thorough knowledge of all the possibilities of the case 
both going before the fact and following after it. 

515. Can a finite mind sit in judgment on the reasonableness of 
the divine purpose ? 

It cannot; because it cannot possibly know the scope nor 
power of the forces by which the fact stated is to be ac- 
complished. 

516. Is not a miracle — e. g., the floating of iron — contrary to 
reason? 

It is not. It is above our reason, but we know that the 
power which makes laws and gives matter its qualities can 
adjust these laws and qualities just as that power may see 
fit. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



83 



Chapter XXII. 

Of the Corruption of the Church During the First Cent- 
ury AND the Effect of it in After Years. 



517. How long after the crucifixion did the Church maintain 
its simplicity and purity ? 

Only for a very short time. We may date the down- 
ward movement at the time the bishops began to exercise 
exclusive right in the administration of baptism. 

518. Where did the decline of purity and simplicity begin? 

Among the teachers who persisted in trying to harmon- 
ize the teachings of the Church with the teachings of sci- 
ence, falsely so called. 

Note.— Science should be neither underrated nor overrated. Prof. Henry 
says : " Science is the knowledge of the laws of phenomena, whether they relate 
to mind or matter." A blind wandering after, or wordy prating about, wonder- 
ful things is no more science than trying to learn the A B C's is education. 

519. What was the natural result of this corruption of the 
Church? 

Disagreement, strife, and finally divisions. 

520. How were the divisions accomplished? 

By those who were right, and who intended to preserve 
the purity of the truth, banding together for that purpose, 
and withdrawing from those whose teachings were corrupt- 
ing the Church. 

521. Is there any command in the Bible to withdraw from those 
who teach errors ? 

Yes. " If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to 
wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, .... 
from such withdraw thyself" (1 Timothy vi. 3-5.) 



84 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



522. What is said in 2 Corinthians vi. 16, 17? 

" What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? . . 
Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, 
saith the Lord." 

523. Did the evil-disposed ever go out from the good people? 
Yes. "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, 

having not the spirit.'' (Jude 19.} 

524. Why was it that sometimes the good would withdraw from 
the evil-disposed, and sometimes the evil-disposed would withdraw 
from the good ? 

Whenever the good were strongest, the evil-disposed would 
withdraw from them, and whenever the evil-disposed were 
strongest, the good would withdraw from them, in order to 
avoid the corruption. 

525. How were these withdrawing people recognized? 

After they had separated from the rest they would take 
certain names, such as the Nazarenes," "Arians," ''Wal- 
denses," etc. 

5 26 When did the first division take place in the Church? 
During our Lord's ministry on earth. 

527. What division was that? 

Those Jews who did accept him as the Messiah withdrew 
from those who did not so accept him. 

528. What name was given to those who accepted Jesus as the 
Messiah ? 

They "were called Christians." 

529. Why did they withdraw from "the Church?" 

They did not withdraw from the Church, but simply with- 
drew fi^om those who rejected the Head of the Church, and 
hence rejected the Church. 

Note. — It is very important to keep this distinction in mind. There could 
be no Church without the Head of the Church, and as the official Jews would 
not accept the manifestation of tlie Head of the Church, they clearly rejected 
the Church, which was carried out of Phariseeism by the *' Christians." 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



85 



630. Were not the Essenes and Sadducees societies of persons 
who had withdrawn from the Church? 

No. These were parties in the Church, and had no sep- 
arate organization outside of it. 

531. If the apostles withdrew from such as would corrupt the 
Church, what ought all Christians to do when the majority of the 
Church puts on corruption and worldliness? 

They ought to do as the apostles did — withdraw from 
such corrupting influences, in order to preserve the purity 
of the Church of God. 

532. Does it ever happen that majorities are wrong, and the 
weaker party right ? 

If often so happens, both in civil and in ecclesiastical 
relations. 

533. Will you mention instances of the kind? 

Yes. In the civil strife between this country and Great 
Britain in 1776 to 1783 the smaller party was right, while 
the larger or stronger party was wrong: and in the strug- 
gle for the reformation in the sixteenth century the stronger 
party — the Romanists — was wrong, while the weaker party 
— the Christians, or reformers — was right. 

534. Is there an instance of this sort of separation found in the 
Bible? 

Yes. " Thou didst separate them from among all the 
people of the earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou spak- 
est by the hand of Moses thy servant, when thou brought- 
est our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God." (1 Kings viii. 
53.) 

535. Is there any thing in the IS^ew Testament to justify such 
separation among people? 

Yes. There is a positive command for it in 2 Corinthi- 
ans vi. 14-17: Be ye not unequally yoked together with 
unbelievers; for what fellowship hath righteousness with 

unrighteousness Wherefore, come out from among 

them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord.'' 



86 



The Chur 



at it is and Whence it is. 



536. Did the reformers act on this principle when they came out 
from among the corrupt Eoman Catholics ? 

They did. The iniquity of the people calling themselves 
the Church had become greater than the iniquity of the 
world. 

537. Are all divisions of the Church intended to purify it? 
Not all. Sometimes ambition leads parties to leave the 

Church, and sometimes they leave it and set up a new 
organization in order to avoid its rigid moral discipline. 

538. Is this kind of separation justified by the Scriptures? 

It is not. When such motives lead, it is an organized 
rebellion against God, and a revolt from the Church. 

Note. — The Bible alone should guide in these movements, and nothing but 
the glory of God should be consulted. The reformation in the sixteenth cent- 
ury was farthered on by the unholy conduct of Henry VIII. Like all acts, it 
had its necessary effect— in that case for good. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



87 



Chapter XXIII. 

Some Facts Concerning the Church Previous to the Eise 
of donatism a.d. 311. 

539. When did the first division in the Church occur? 
During the reign of Adrian. Some time in A.D. 2. 

540. What was the cause of this division ? 

There were two causes which operated to bring it about. 

541. What was the principal cause? 

Some of the Jews insisted on placing Moses and Christ 
on the same footing — i. e., honoring Moses equally with 
Christ. 

542. What was the secondary or incidental cause? 

The severity of the laws of Adrian, enacted against the 
whole body of the Jews. 

543. How was this division brought about? 

Those who preferred to honor Christ above Moses aban- 
doned the Mosaic rites, and elected to the office of bishop 
a Gentile by name of Mark. Those who were disposed to 
regard Moses and Christ as of equal authority, separated 
from the body of Christians — and afterward divided again 
— arfd are known in history as Nazarenes and Ebionites. 

544. Was the term Nazarene used before this division in the 
Church? 

It was ; and was applied to all Christians, because they 
were the followers of "Jesus of Nazareth." 

545. Where did this division of the Church take place? 

In Palestine, and on the very ground where our Saviour 
walked and worked. 



88 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



546. Were the Christians justifiable in abandoning the Mosaic 
rites, and in preferring Christ above Moses? 

Yes ; because the rites of the Mosaic law were significant 
of a promised Saviour, and were without meaning after the 
promise had been fulfilled. Besides, St, Paul says (Ro- 
mans xiv. 9): "For to this end Christ both died and rose 
and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and 
living." And in Philippians (ii. 9, 10) it is said: "God 
also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name 
which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus 
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in 
earth, and things under the earth." 

547. Had the Church the right to elect a Gentile to the high 
office of bishop ? 

Yes: "For by one spirit are we all baptized into one 
body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles " (1 Corinthians xii. 
13). One member of the body might as well hold office 
as another. Moreover, Paul says (Ephesians ii. 14) Jesus 
"hath made both one" — Jew and Gentile — "and hath 
broken down the middle wall of partition betwecD us." 

485. What may this division of the Church be called? In other 
words, what was the effect of this division? 

The effect was to forever free the Church from the Juda- 
izing tendencies of the unbelieving Jews, and may be called 
the first great reformation. 

549. In what way did it result in reforming the Church? 

By throwing ofi' superstition and vanity, and by more 
fully conforming the rites and ceremonies of the Church to 
the fulfilled condition of the promise of God. 

]N^oTE. — We beg the reader to refer back to the chapter entitled " Of Chang- 
ing the Sacramenis of the Church." The facts and arguments there used 
nearly all apply here with equal force. 

550. Had not the Church thrown off all Mosaic rites long before 
the second century ? 

No. Our Lord made no new Church, and gave no new 
doctrine nor form of service xxot contained in the Old Tes- 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



89 



tameiit. All the types and shadows were, by the expressed 
conditions of the Old Testament, to pass away " when Shi- 
loh come." 

551. Were there any other divisions during this — the first and 
second centuries — resulting in the formation of new sects ? 

There were several others; but time, and the absence of 
right and truth, has well-nigh blotted them all out. 

Note. — In following out the plan adopted in regard to the Nazarenes, and 
mentioning in detail Manieheans, Paulicians, Novatians, etc., we would so ex- 
tend this little work as to destroy the design of it. We must here leave off 
the first and second centuries, in order to make more space for the records of 
the third and fourth centuries. The reader must therefore do as the writer 
is doing: forego the pleasure of a great deal of reading on unimportant sub- 
jects, so as to have more time on such as directly affect our Church and her 
relations to the apostolic ministry. 

7 



90 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXIV. 

From the Separation of the Unbelieving Jews from the 
Christians to the Else of the Donatists, A.D. 311. 



552. What was the state of science and literature during the 
third century? 

Science and literature began to decline toward the latter 
part of the second century ; and when, in the third century, 
Longinus and Cassius died, the last of the great supporters 
of these branches of learning seem to have departed. 

553. What probably hastened the decline of letters? 

There had been such hostility between faith and reason 
during the second century — reason so strongly set against 
faith by the infidel and heathen philosophers — that the 
Church began, in the third century, to discuss the utility 
of higher learning. 

554. What was the effect of the conversion of heathen philoso- 
phers to the faith of the gospel ? 

Seeing the opposition in the Church to science and liter- 
ature, and being uneducated in the " deep things of God," 
they brought their science and philosophy into the Church, 
thereby corrupting its doctrine and impairing its faith. 

555. When and how did the superior claims of the bishop at 
Rome begin? 

In the third century the bishop at Rome began to take 
to himself authority over the other bishops. This usurpa- 
tion, however, was treated with indignation by Cyprian and 
other learned ministers in the Church. 

556. What changes began to work in regard to the government 
of the Church? 

There was a gradual departure from the democratic priu- 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



91 



ciples recognized by the apostles, and a corresponding tend- 
ency to the monarchical government of the Church of 
Rome, as we see it at this time. 

557. In what did the first departure from the simple rules of 
the gospel consist ? 

As already stated, in the usurpation of power by the 
bishops encroaching upon the liberties of the people and 
the privileges of the priests. 

558. What was the effect of this course of conduct? 

As is always the case, one wrong opened the w^ay and 
made a demand for another. Hence the bishops, in order 
to protect themselves, began to publish new doctrines con- 
cerning the nature of the Church and the dignity of the 
episcopal office. 

559. Did the effect stop here? 

No. Matters went from bad to worse. The other min- 
isters began to usurp authority, and all resorted to the use 
of patronage as a means of conciliation. Pride and indo- 
lence took hold of the clergy, vices w^ere recognized and 
offices created, till the purity and simplicity of the Church 
was well-nigh destroyed. 

560. What do these facts prove in regard to the sufficiency and 
purity of the gospel. 

Nothing whatever. They do show, however, the deprav- 
ity of the human heart, and the rebelliousness of the hu- 
man will when not' under the dominion of grace. 

561. Could such a combination of vice and error destroy the 
truth and righteousness of the gospel ? 

No; for although a grain of salt may be dissolved in a 
thousand times its weight in water, it is salt still. It is 
neutralized but not destroyed, and may be gathered again. 

Note. — Salt is obtained by evaporating the water from the saline matter 
contained in it; and however small the quantity of salty substance contained 
in a given quantity of water, the salt will not evaporate, but will be left at the 
bottom when the water has been evaporated, either by the tire or air and sun. 
So is truth. 



92 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



562. What were the names of some of the sects which sprung 
up during the third century? 

The third century gave rise to a great many disputants, 
and the Church was much disturbed by Manes, Hierax, 
Paul of Antioch, Sabellius, and Novatus, and even the 
great Origen, one of the strongest supporters of the Church, 
by going too far with his philosophical opinions, became a 
source of trouble and confusion. The principal sect was 
the Novatiaus. 



'File Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



93 



Chapter XXV. 

From the Separation of the Unbelieving JewsIfrom the 
Christians to the Eise of the Donatists in A.D. 311 (Con- 
tinued.) 

563. Up to A.D. 311 had there ever been a sect or body of Chris- 
tians known as Anabaptists ? 

No. Nor for a great number of years after this date. 

664. Name the sects which sprung up in the fourth century. 

The Donatists, the Circumcillianes, the Arians, the Mac- 
edonians, the Priscillianists, the Euchites, and some others, 
the names of which are seldom, if ever, found in any books 
of the present day. 

565. Which of all these was the most powerful? 

The Arians ; between whom and the other Christians the 
principal difference was in regard to the coequality of the 
Father and Son. 

566. To what error did the Arians subscribe in regard to the 
nature of Christ? 

They regarded him as a created being greater than all 
other beings, but not equal to the Father in substance, 
glory, nor power. 

567. Wherein does this error consist? 

1. In regarding Christ as a created being. 2. In re- 
garding him as inferior to the Farther. 3. In regarding 
him as imperfect in substance, power, and glory. 

568. What does our Lord say about his coequality with the 
Father? 

He says, " I and my Father are one." 



94 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



569. What does John say about the coequality of the Father 
and Son? 

He says that lie as the Word " was with God, and the 
Word was God.'' 

570. Did the sect called Anabaptists exist during the fourth 
century? ^ 

They did not ; nor did any thing else which had Baptist 
connected with it. 

571. Next to the Arians, what sect was most important of all 
those mentioned just now ? 

The sect called Donatists. 

572. When and by whom was the sect of the Donatists set up? 
By Donatus in the year of our Lord 311. 

573. What was the cause of the separation of this sect from the 
Christian Church? 

In the year A.D. 311 the Bishop of Carthage died, and 
it became necessary to consecrate another. It had been 
the custom of the bishops of Numidia to be present at the 
consecration of the Carthagenian bishop ; but on this occa- 
sion the bishops from Africa assembled, and without wait- 
ing for the Kumidian bishops, proceeded to consecrate a 
man by the name of Csecilius. The people refused to ac- 
knowledge Csecilius as Bishop of Carthage, and Majorinus 
was consecrated bishop by Donatus. 

574. What effect did this state of things produce? 

Confusion and discord, and ultimated in the condemna- 
tion of the Donatists in three separate councils which were 
called to consider the case. 

575. What was the result of the third council? 

The churches were taken from the Donatists, their sedi- 
tious bishops were banished, and some of them put to death. 



The Church: What it 'is and Whence it is. 



95 



576. Was the folly which gave rise to the Donatists ever repeated 
by them ? 

Yes; as in A.D. 311 they caused a bishop to be elected 
where there was need of only one, so after the death of 
Bishop Donatiis, the sect divided, and elected two bishops 
when only one was desirable. 

577. What was the fate of the Donatists? 

They kept up an existence, and exercised an influence — 
sometimes greater, sometimes less — for more than three 
hundred years, say up to A.D. 700. After this date, and 
on to the twelfth century, we hear of them occasionally, 
but not as an organization having power or influence. 

578. Did the Donatists ever assume any other name, such as 
Mennonites, or Munsterites, etc. ? 

They did not. 

Note. — We beg leave to append here an article which appeared in the New 
Orleans Christian Advocate (from the pen of the writer of these facts) in March, 
1884. 

The Origin of the Baptist Church. 

The reason why we are so often surprised at the utterances of cer- 
tain men in certain places may possibly be found in the fact that we, 
as peace-loving people, suffer such statements to go unrebuked ; or if 
rebuked at all, it too often happens in the way of a sneer at what 
seems to us too absurd to talk about, but which, nevertheless, is not 
so absurd to those who know no better. Dr. G-raves makes a quota- 
tion, not relevant, however, and then adds, "This carries the suc- 
cession of Baptists back to the year A.D. 225," but does not tell us 
where the Baptists were during that two hundred and twenty-five 
years. To bolster up his assertions as to the apostolic origin of his 
Church, he quotes again: "The Donatists of the fourth and seventh 
centuries. Baptists do claim them as their ecclesiastical ancestors." 
Still he does not tell us who were the "ecclesiastical ancestors" of 
those Donatists. However, in the absence of some better proofs, he 
asserts that "the Donatists of the fourth century were the true Church 
of Christ." But where they were during this two hundred and 
twenty-five years he does not tell us. Besides, if " the Donatists of 
the fourth century were the true Church of Christ," it is certain 



96 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



that the Baptists were not ^'the true Church of Christ," even if there 
were any Baptists then. This defect, however, he attempts to sup- 
ply by saying "the English Baptists were the Donatists new-dipped." 
This logic is seriously absurd. The "new" dip changed the "Do- 
natists" into "Baptists." But how did the Donatists come into exist- 
ence, and when? A controversy between the African and Numidian 
bishops as to whether Csecilius or Majorinus should be made a bish- 
op after the death of Mensurius resulted in the Numidian bishops 
electing Majorinus. This was not till "the fourth century" — i. e., 
A.D. 311. This is the how and the when of the origin of the "Do- 
natists of the fourth century." Dr. Graves says "the English Bap- 
tists were the Donatists new-dipped." So, Dr. Graves being the 
judge, the Baptists never had an existence till the fourth century. 
This is a little nearer the truth than we usually get through Dr. 
Graves. 

One more quotation made by Dr. Graves: "We have now seen 
that the Baptists, who were formerly called Anabaptists, and in 
later times Mennonites, were the original Waldenses." The Men- 
nonites originated about the first of the sixteenth century, under 
the leadership of Menno. Schyn, the Mennonite historian, and 
many other Writers, deny that the Mennonites descended from the 
Anabaptists. As for the Waldenses, Peter Waldo started that sect 
in the twelfth century — A.D. 1180. So, if all the facts were as 
stated by Dr. Graves, his Church cannot get in three hundred years 
of the apostolic age. 

The true genealogy of the Baptist Church is better traced on 
another line. Dr. Graves says Roger Williams, the Bhode Island 
Baptist, "was not a Baptist. He was never connected with any 
Baptist Church, nor any Baptist Church connected with him." Dr. 
Graves says also that Smyth, the German Baptist, " was not a Bap- 
tist." He was a Munsterite. 

If Dr. Graves were to tell the Mennonites that " in later times " 
they were the ranting fanatics called "Anabaptists in the fourth 
century," the reply would be that given by Coote in his Mosheim, 
viz.: "The Mennonites oppose with all their might the account of 
their descent from the ancient Anabaptists, which we find in so 
many writers." (Page 495.) That the reader may see for himself, 
and make his own comparisons, I quote a paragraph which shows 
conclusively that the doctrines and practices of the Baptist Church 
are quite diflferent from those of the Mennonites : 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



97 



That species of Anabaptism with which we are cliarged exists 
no longer; nor has it liappened, during the space of many years, 
that any person professing Christianity, of whatever Church or sect 
he may have been, and who had been previously baptized according 
to the commandment of Christ, has been rebaptized upon his enter- 
ing into our Communion." (Mosheim, revised by Coote, page 490.) 

The words ''according to the commandment of Christ" are ex- 
plained to mean not in infancy. This fully appears from the words 
"of whatever Church or sect he may have been." For, according 
to Dr. Graves, none are baptized according to the commandment 
of Christ" except such as are baptized into his Church. 

In the fourth century we find a sect called Anabaptists. The 
Mennonites began to exist as an organized sect, under Simon Menno 
in the fifteenth century. At the same time, in the same country, 
and up to the seventeenth century, the Anabaptists and Mennonites 
existed side by side, and in determined conflict. The Waldenses 
never had an existence till the latter part of the twelfth century, 
say about A.D. 1180. So we see Anabaptists, Mennonites, and Wal- 
denses existing .all at the same time, in the same country, as late as 
the seventeenth century. Where was Dr. Graves's Church in the 
seventeenth century? It was in its down, just hatched out of a 
Mennonite egg, under the Waldenses; and here is the table of de- 
scent. [See following page.] 

There may be ^ome novelty in this table, but we submit it to 
every candid and well-read historian to be criticised, and, as must 
be in all such cases, indorsed. The table might be extended to em- 
brace over three hundred religious organizations, but this is enough 
for our present purpose. If other duties permit, we may, at some 
time in the near future, take this subject in hand again, and give 
not only the ecclesiastical parentage of the diflerent Churches, but 
the date of their organization and the ratio of their success. This 
table shows well enough that the Church has been handed down di- 
rectly from Adam, through the apostles, and through the corrupt- 
ing influence of Greece and Rome, to the Protestants of the present 
day. 



98 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



ECCLESIASTICAL CHEONOLOGY. 

(Collated from Mosheim's Church History.) 
ADAM. 

The Church of God. 



Platoans. 



Gnostics. 



Academics, etc. 



Pharisees. 



Sadducees. 



Essenes. 



The Church of God A.D. 
The Apostles. 
Roman Hierarchy. 



Komish Church. 
Anabaptist. 
Mennonites. 
Waldensians. 
Baptists, etc. 



Grecian Church. 



Presbyterians. 



Cumb. Presbyterians. 



Etc. 



Church of England. 
Methodists {many sects). 
Methodist Church in America, etc. 



Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



99 



Chapter XXVI. 

From the Organization of the Donatists to the Organi- 
zation OF THE MeNNONITES. 



579. What particular changes took place in the Church in re- 
gard to its government during the fourth and fifth centuries ? 

The principal changes consisted rather in forms of wor- 
ship than in government. Robes and miters for the priests, 
the burning of candles, religious processions, and images 
were introduced in the fourth century. During the fifth 
century, confession to the priest was instituted in a modi- 
fied form. 

580. What changes took place in the doctrines of the Church 
during this time, A.D. 400-500? 

The doctrine of purgatory was invented in the fourth 
century, and a great number of superstitions were added 
to the doctrines of the Church. During the fifth century 
pilgrimages and the worship of saints were introduced. 

581. What do you mean by purgatory ? 

Purgatory is a word used to express the idea of a place 
of cleansing, and is based upon a notion that there is some- 
where a fire, into which sinners go, and in which they stay 
till they are purged (or cleansed) from the guilt of their 
sins. 

582. Can any warrant of Scripture be given for such a doctrine? 
No; but on the contrary, our Lord says of the wicked, 

"These shall go away into everlasting destruction." And 
again : " Where their worm dieth not, and w^here the fire is 
not quenched, 



100 



The Church : JVhat it is and Whence it is. 



583. What new sects sprung up during these centuries? 
Besides those already mentioned as springing up during 

the fourth century, the Nestorians and Pelagians sprung up 
during the fifth century. 

584. What were the peculiar teachings of the Pelagians? 
That the sins of our first parents were imputed to them 

alone; that we derive no corruption from their fall, but are 
born as pure and free from moral contamination as Adam 
was when he came out of the hand of the Creator; that 
mankind are capable of repentance and amendment by 
the use of their natural powers and faculties, without the 
grace of God assisting them. 

585. What does the Methodist Discipline say about this doctrine 
of the Pelagians? 

That we are to trample under foot that enthusiastic doc- 
trine that man, by his own will, can turn to God by repent- 
ance and faith." 

586. What does the Methodist Church teach in regard to salva- 
tion ? 

That we are saved by grace through faith is a most 
wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort." 

587. Wherein did the Nestorians differ from the other Chris- 
tians ? 

Only in the forms of expression. The Church held 
''that Christ was one divine person, in w^hom two natures 
were most closely and intimately united, but without being 
mixed or confounded " (Mosheim), and hence called Mary 
'' the mother of God." Nestor ius objected to this, on the 
ground that the divine nature could neither be born nor 
die, and hence Mary should be called the mother of Christ. 

588. What sects were the most influential during these cent- 
uries ? 

The Manicheans and Arians. The Euticheans still ex- 
ercised a small influence, but were by no means formidable. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



101 



Chapter XXVII. 

From A.D. 500 to the Separation of the Greek from the 
KoMAN Ce[URCh A.D. 1053, inceuding an Account of that 
Division. 

589. What organizations were still exercising an influence in 
the Church at the beginning of the sixth century? 

The Manicheans, mainly in Russia; the Donatists, who 
.were well-nigh exterminated during this and the preceding 
century; the Nestorians, Monophycites, and the Arians, 
who had spread their influence over Italy, Spain, Gaul, 
Burgundy, and Africa. 

590. What was the tendency of their teachings? 

To develop self-trust and undervalue the depravity of 
man and the necessity for the atoning grace of Christ. 

591. How were they encouraged and built up? 

By the support of the Vandals in Africa and the Goths 
in Italy. 

592. What effect had the expulsion of these invaders on the 
growth and influence of Arianism? 

As soon as they were expelled and Justinian had no 
other foes to look after, he soon succeeded in crushing the 
Arians and dqgtroying their influence. 

593. Were any new sects organized during the sixth century? 

None to materially frustrate the Church. An unimpor- 
tant sect called the Tritheists was set up, but never accom- 
plished much, 

594. How were matters in the Church at the commencement of 
the seventh century ? 

Very much as they were a hundred years before, except 
the introduction of a great many doctrinal errors and vain 



102 



The Church : What it is and WheJice it is. 



and superstitious practices. Amoug other innovations was 
the doctrine of saying mass for the dead, and deferring 
baptism to occasions of festivity, worshiping images of 
saints and relics of the cross, and the establishment of the 
order called Monks. 

595. What principal sects still existed? 

The Manicheans, Paulicians — who had taken up and 
modified the doctrine of Manes" (Mosheim) — the Pela- 
gians in two factions, the Nestorians, the Monophycites, 
which in the seventh century were absorbed, at least to a 
considerable extent, by a new^ sect which was called Ma- 
ronites, from John Maro, who took up the doctrine of the 
Monophycites and the Euticheans. 

Note, — The eighth century is marked by strife between the different sects, 
and the accumulation of vice and superstition in the Church. While Charle- 
magne could conquer nations, he was utterly unable to conquer religious big- 
otry, Ignorance, and superstition. 

596. When was the foundation laid for the schism in the Church 
which resulted in a separation between the Eastern and Western 
Churches? 

Toward the close of the seventh century. 

597. What gave rise to the controversy? 

An overzealous desire to unite the sects of the Church. 

598. What were the principal sects at the time? 

The Mohammedans, which had just sprung up ; the Pauli- 
cians, which had been revived by one Constantine; the 
Monophycites, and Nestorians. 

599. What did the Emperor of Greece do? 

He consulted Paul of Arminia and Athanasius, one of 
the bishops, in regard to the propriety of bringing all the 
sects into the Church. 

600. Did he consult the bishop at Rome? 

He did not ; supposing it unnecessary to do so in matters 
pertaining solely to Greece. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



103 



601. What did Paul and Athanasins advise? 

That a confession of faith be written up, so modified that 
the sects would all accept it. 

602. Was this done? 

The confession was drawn up, and many of the sects ac- 
cepted it; but Sophronius, a m(mk, opposed it, and pressed 
his opposition so persistently that the Western Churches 
joined in the controversy. 

603. On what pretext did the Romish (or the Western) Churches 
oppose the confession of Heraclius? 

On the ground that they were not consulted as they ought 
to have been. 

604. What transpired during the ninth century? 

In civil matters there were " wars and rumors of wars." 
The Turks, the Persians, and the Saracens wwe at war 
during this period. In the Church there was rather more 
quiet than for many years preceding. From Leo V., A.D. 
903, to Sylvester II., about A.D. 998 or 999, such was the 
conflict among themselves, and such the thirst of each for 
preferment over the other, that the schism between the Gre- 
cian and Koman Churches seems to have been forgotten. 

605. What became of the various sects during the tenth century? 
Only a trace of the Arians remained. The Donatists 

and Mennonites, and many other sects, are lost sight of, while 
the Manicheans, or Albigenses ( which were the same in 
doctrine), the Nestorians, and Monophycites still remained. 

606. What is the record of the eleventh century? 

Much the same as the tenth century. From A.D. 687 
to A.D. 1100 the history of the Church may be written in 
one line, viz. : From had to worse, from ignorance to igno- 
rance, from darkness to darkness. 

607. Did the eleventh century develop any new sects? 

None of any consequence. Several new names were 
given to the Paulicians, such as Publicans, " Good Men," 



104 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Bulgarians/' etc. One new sect is mentioned in A.D. 
1089 as Nominalists. 

608. What was the state of the controversy between the Eastern 
and Western Churches during the eleventh century ? 

The coals of discord lay buried in the ashes of time and 
engagedness till Cerularius, in A.D. 1053, kindled them 
into a flame. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



105 



Chapter XXVIII. 

From A.D. 500 to the Separation of the Greek from the 
Roman Church A.D. 1053, iNCLUDiNa an Account of that 
Division (Continued). 

609. Who was Cerularius, the man who revived the contest be- 
tween the Greek and Western Churches? 

Cerularius was Patriarch of Constantinople. 

610. What is a patriarch f 

In the sense in which it is used here it is a dignitary — 
bishop— in the Church ; so called from his fatherly author- 
ity in the Church. 

611. Were there other patriarchs in the Eastern Churches be- 
sides Cerularius? 

Yes ; at Ephesus, Cesarea, Alexandria, and perhaps in 
other places. But the patriarch at Constantinople was 
styled the patriarch. 

612. Why was the bishop at Constantinople called the patriarch? 
Because he was honored above the rest, having powers 

and authority which no other of the bishops or patriarchs 
exercised. 

613. Who was bishop at Rome? 
Leo IX. 

614. What was the bishop at Rome called? 

He vras called a Pope, because he was regarded as the 
common papa, or father, of all Christians. 

615. What particular question did Cerularius raise which pro- 
voked the controversy? 

The use of unleavened bread in the celebration of the 
Lord's Supper among the Western Churches. 
8 



106 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



616. Was this the only question raised by Cerularius? 

No. While this was the question which provoked the 
most fiery discussions, other questions relating t© doctrines 
and customs which had helped to corrupt the Church were 
also raised by him. 

617. Who was Emperor of Greece at this time? 
Constantine Monomachus. 

618. Did he seek to arrest the controversy and heal the dissen- 
sions? 

He did ; and to that end he requested Leo IX. to send 
a legation, or committee of men having power to act, to 
Constantinople for the purpose of restoring and preserving 
the tranquillity of the Church. 

619. Who did Leo send? 

Humbert, Amalfi, and Frederic, who manifested an in- 
solent and determined spirit to establish among the Greeks 
the authority of the Pope. 

620. How did Cerularius meet this spirit? 

"With a similar spirit of determined resistance. 

621. What was the result of this failure to conciliate matters? 
The Roman legates left Constantinople in disgust; and 

in A.D. 1054 declared the Patriarch of Constantinople and 
all his adherents expelled from the Church. 

622. What reasons induced Constantine to curry favor with the 
Pope of Kome? 

His provinces were being wrested from him by the Sar- 
acens and Turks, and he desired to place the Romans 
under obligations to himself 

623. Did Cerularius submit to the act of excommunication? 
He did not ; but in turn excommunicated the legates and 

all others who were concerned with them. 

624. What was the outcome of these mutual excommunictions? 
Each party disregarded the authority of the other, and 

each claimed to be the Church. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



107 



625. What other facts occurred during this period which demand 
notice here? 

The spread of the influence of the Nestorians, Monophy- 
cites, and Paulicians. 

Note— As our purpose and plan forbid our going too far with details, it 
may be proper just here to devote a chapter to the changes whi(?h took place 
in the Church during and before the eleventh century. This is necessary for 
the following reasons : 1. To vindicate the conduct of some who were called 
heretics. 2. To show the necessity for a reformation. 3. That the reader may 
see how far the reformation has succeeded. 



108 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXIX. 

Of Changes which Took Place in the Church During 
AND Before the Eleventh Century. 



626. Will you mention some rites, ceremonies, or doctrines 
which crept into the Church after the apostolic day? 

Transiibstantiation (sometimes called consubstantiation), 
purgatory, image-worship, extreme unction, infallibility of 
councils and of the Pope, the supremacy of the Pope, and 
his authority over the other ministers of the Church, be- 
sides a great number of strange and ridiculous customs. 

627. What do you mean hy transubstantiation ? 

In the sense in which it is used by the Romish Church, 
it means the change of the wine and bread used in the sac- 
rament into the real body and blood of the Lord. 

628. Did science, as then understood and taught, have any thing 
to do with foisting this monstrosity on the Church? 

According to Edgar, some opinion of Aristotle suggest- 
ed it. 

629. To what opinion does Edgar allude? 

To the opinion of Aristotle that matter primarily ex- 
isted without regard to quality, quantity, figure, or propriety 
of body.^' 

630. How did the Komanists argue from this opinion? 

It is not certainly known by what logical process the con- 
clusion of transubstantiation was reached, but if the opin- 
ion be a true one, the real body and blood might be ]3resent 
in the cup without the possibility of detecting it. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it ii. 



109 



631. When was the doctrine of transubstantiation first made a 
doctrine of the Chiiriih? 
About A.D. 1215. 

632 i Who was Pope at Eome, and through whose influence was 
this cannibalistic idea incorporated into the doctrine of tlie Church? 

Innocent III. was Pope, and it was through his influence 
as pretended head of the Church. 

633. What do Roman Catholics mean by purgatory? 

Purgatory is a place — so they say — somewhere in the fut- 
ure, which has in it some sort of fire, into which the souls 
of the wicked go, and where they remain till the fire of 
purgatory and the prayers of the priests prepare them for 
heaven, after which they go directly to the bosom of God. 

634. When was this doctrine invented? 
During the first part of the fifth century. 

635. What use did the Church have for such a doctrine as this, 
seeing it is not in the Bible? 

The priests used it as a source of revenue. 

636. How w^as it made a source of revenue? 

The ignorant people were made to beheve it, and then 
their sympathies vrere worked upon till they would consent 
to pay large sums of money to have their dead friends 
prayed out of purgatory. 

637. Does the Roman Catholic Church still make money in this 
way out of this false doctrine ? 

They do. In 1882 a rich sinner died, and being a mem- 
ber of that Church, provided in his will that a certain sum 
should be paid to the priest for praying his soul out of pur- 
gatory. The executor of the will refused to pay out the 
money, requiring proof of the performance of the work. 
The priest appealed to the courts, and the courts sustained 
the executor, and required the priest to make proof of the 
fact that the soul of the poor man luas actually released from 
purgatory — an unknown place. 



no 



The Church t What it is and Whence it is. 



638. Does this doctrine find any support in the Bible? 

It does not ; but, on the contrary, is clearly repugnant to 
its teachings. 

639. What does our Lord say in Matthew xxv. 46? 

These [the wicked] shall go away into everlasting pun- 
ishment, but the righteous into life eternal.'' 

640. What is extreme unction ? 

It is the pouring of oil on persons who are thought to be 
dangerously sick, whether they be saints or sinners. 

641. What do Komanists call it, and what do they say are the 
effects of it ? 

They call it a sacrament, and say it is a "medicine for 
the healing of both soul and body." 

642. When was it invented, and by wliom ? 

It was invented about the middle of the fifth century, by 
Decentius, an Italian bishop. 

643. When did the Church adopt it as one of the doctrines to be 
accepted and believed ? 

Some time during the twelfth century. 

644. Has it any support in the Bible? 

As a means of working miracles, it was used by the apos- 
tles when one was sick among 3^ou " — ^. e., among the 
Christian brethren; but it was not resorted to by Paul, 
nor by any of the early Christians after the days of the 
twelve apostles. 

645. When were images introduced into the Church as a means 
of worship? 

In A.D. 726. 

646. Did the Eastern or Grecian Church accept this doctrine? 
No. In A.D. 754 a council composed of three hundred 

and thirty-eight bishops was convened for the purpose of 
deciding the controversy about it, and after a session of 
six months these three hundred and thirty-eight learned 
bishops rejected it as a false doctrine. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. Ill 



647. What do these errors in the Church show? 

They show its tendency to degeneration and corruption,, 
and the imperative necessity for a thorough reformation. 

648. How was heresy punished by the ^authorities of the Church? 
With death or banishment. 

649. What was called heresy ? 

Opposition to any of the doctrines or customs of the 
Church, however absurd and out of place such doctrines 
or customs may have been. 

650. Name some of the heretics. 

Jerome, John Huss, Waldo, Athanasius, Latimer, and 
hundreds of others. 

651. What was the character of these men? 

They were men of great piety and probity of life, de- 
voted to the cause of Christ and pure religion, and, in 
most instances, were men of great learning and correct un- 
derstanding in things pertaining to the Church. 

[652. What is Athanasius sometimes called? 

The father of orthodoxy, because of a creed or system of 
religious belief which he drew up, and which has been con- 
sidered to approach more closely the teaching of the apos- 
tles than any confession of faith previously formulated. 

653. W^hat were some of the customs which were opposed by 
those good men, who were called to suffer as heretics? 

Such, for example, as burning the gown from the back 
of a woman for the spiritual edification of the spectators 
(Edgar's Variations of Popery, page 42), crucifying young 
women in order to illustrate our Lord's sufiering (see the 
same) ; the worship of the ass (see the same, page 43) ; self- 
torture for the cure of evil passions (^ibidy page 40), and 
many others, besides those doctrines and customs already 
mentioned. 



112 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



654. Has the Roman Catholic Church always been steadfast in 
faith and changeless in doctrine? 

By no means. In the fourth century, during a period of 
less than one hundred years, the Church of Rome declared 
itself against Arianism thirteen times, and fifteen times it de- 
clared in favor of Arianism, while seventeen, times it de- 
clared in favor of sem- Arianism. (See Edgar.) 



The Church : What it is and Whence it i^. 



113 



Chapter XXX. 

From the Diskuptiox of the Church, by which the Gre- 
cian Church was Established, to the Eeformation. 

655. What was the state of the Church at the commencement 
of the twelfth centiirv? 

The Patriarch of ConsTantiuopie was virtuallj the head 
of the Greciaii Church, and the Pope of Rome the head of 
the Romish Church. 

656. What was the condition of the various sects which had 
sprung up from time to time? 

They had in a large measure disappeared from the pages 
of history. The Maiiicheans, Euchites, and one or two 
other sects, still existed. 

657. What new sect sprung up during the twelfth century? 
The Bogomites, headed by Basilius, the Catharists, Petro- 

bussians, Henricians, Arnoldists. the Waldenses — who were 
also called Albigenses — and a few others, almost all of 
whom were destroyed before the close of the next century. 

658. Who was the leader of the sect called Waldenses? 
Peter Waldo, a merchant of Lyons. 

659. By what other names were the Waldenses known? 

" The Poor Men of Lyons," " Lyonists,'* and Albigenses. 

660. Did the Waldenses object to any of the doctrines of the 
Church, or try to infuse any new doctrine? 

iSo. Mosiieim says they ''did not attempt to introduce 
new doctrines nor impose new articles of faith." 

661. What officers did they place over the Church? 
Bishops, presbyters, and deacons. 

662. Did the Waldenses ^iccept the doctrine of infant baptism? 
They did, as that w^as an established doctrine of the 

Church, and they "did not attempt to introduce any neiv 



114 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



doctrine, nor establish any new articles of faith." (See 
Mosheim, edition 1856, page 291.; 

663. What had become of the Donatists, whose origin we found 
inA.D. 311? 

They had been lost and exterminated by the wars and 
persecutions of the few preceding centuries. Scarcely any 
trace of the Donatists can be found after the sixth century. 

664. Are the Waldenses the same people, but known in the 
twelfth century by another name? 

No. The Donatists originated in the fourth century, 
under the leadership of Donatus ; and the Waldenses origi- 
nated in the twelfth century, under Waldo. 

665. By what names were the different sects known toward the 
close of the twelfth century? 

All in the jurisdiction of the Church of Rome were 
known as Waldenses or Albigenses, while the sects under 
the jurisdiction of the Grecian Church were called Massa- 
lians or Euchites. 

666. What great iniquity was instituted in the Church during 
this century — the twelfth ? 

The sale of indulgences. 

667. What do you mean by. the "sale of indulgences?" 

I mean the bishops would, for money or for service, per- 
mit members of the Church to commit the greatest crimes, 
and /or the money or service so rendered procure the pardon 
of their sins. 

668. What new method for detecting and punishing those who 
saw fit to differ from the Church was adopted at the beginning of 
the thirteenth century ? 

The inquisition. 

669. How was the inquisition organized ? 

A court composed of three persons — one priest and two 
laymen — was appointed in every city. 

670. How did the court proceed? 

At first the proceedings were somewhat regular. Infor- 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



115 



mation was received and conviction secured very much as 
was done in regular ecclesiastical proceedings, until Domi- 
nic took hold of the inquisition; then all forms of law were 
laid aside, all justice buried, and fire and fagots applied 
to any who happened to gain the displeasure of the inqui- 
sition. 

671. How were the sects known in the thirteenth century? 
All who opposed the corruption of the Church of Rome 

were called Albigenses ; but by the more careful historians 
the name Albigenses is used in a more special sense. It in- 
cludes Waldenses, Paulicians, and Nestorians. 

672. What sects were now included in tlie sect of the Pau- 
licians ? 

The Manicheans, Publicans, Catharists, Jacobites, and 
Bulgarians. All of these, together with the Paulicians, 
were originally called Manicheans, from Manes, the origi- 
nator of the sect of Manicheans. 

673. What new sects sprung up during the thirteenth century? 
A sect calling themselves " Brethren and Sisters of the 

Free Spirit," who were called in France Beguins; also a 
sect calling themselves "Apostles." 

674. What effect had the crusade of the inquisitors on these 
sectarians ? 

By the close of the thirteenth century they were all well- 
nigh crushed out of existence. 



116 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXXI. 

From the Disruption of the Church, by which the Grecian 
Church was Established, to the Eeformation (Continued). 

675. What was the condition of the Church at the beginning of 
the fourteenth century ? 

Its authority was extended almost over the whole civil- 
ized world. 

676. What bold, good man rose up in the fourteenth century to 
contend for the truth? 

John WyclifFe, whose words still live and inspire the 
lovers of truth. 

677. What sect sprung up in the Greek Church ? 

The Quietists; so called from their contemplative man- 
ner of life. 

678. What was the effect of their first appearance? 

They were denounced and persecuted as the other sects 
were. 

679. Did this persecution continue? 

No. In 1341 the Greek Church indorsed the Quietists, 
and put their persecutors to flight. 

680. What ancient sects still maintained an existence during 
this century — the fourteenth. 

The Waldenses, Manicheans (or Paulicians), the Apos- 
tolists, and Beguins. A new sect sprung up in 1373 called 
Dancers. 

681. Why was this new sect called Dancers f 

Because of a habit they had when in company of sud- 
denly catching hold of each other's hands and dancing and 
swinging around till they would fall from exhaustion. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 117 



682. What did tliey claim as the result of this sort of capering? 
That it enabled them to experience the most delightful 
sensations. 

633. Were these dances confined to persons of the same sex? 
They were not ; but were carried on between the sexes. 

684. Is there an instance of dancing recorded in the Bible where 
males and females danced together? 

There is not. The dancing spoken of in the Bible was 
with the one sex to the exclusion of the other. 

685. What great event occurred during the fifteenth century 
which has given importance to the commerce of the world, and en- 
larged the sphere of civilization and Christian usefulness? 

The discovery of America by Columbus. 

686. What localities did Columbus first discover? 
The islands of Cuba and Jamaica. 

687. As soon as it was known that these islands were discovered 
and peopled, what did the Church of Rome do? 

She sent monks and friars to plant her banners there, 
and claim these islands for her own. 

688. When it was known in Europe that Columbus had discov- 
ered a great continent here, what did Alexander II. do? 

He divided all the discoveries of Columbus between the 
Portuguese and Spaniards. 

689. What did he expect of them in turn for the allotment of so 
great possessions ? 

That the nations would plant Romanism here, and de- 
fend it with the authority of their arms. 

690. What was the fate of the sects at this time? 

A few of them still existed — a few jSTestorians in China, 
and a few Manicheans, ^Valdenses, and Brethren of the 
Free Spirit in different parts of Europe. 

691. AVhat great calamity befell the Greek Church during the 
fifteenth century ? 

The Turks having captured Constantinople, religious 
liberty was discontinued in a part of the Episcopal See, 



118 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



while in the other it was so restricted as not to amount to 
religious liberty. 

692. What was the comparative condition of the Grecian and 
Komish Churches at the close of the fifteenth century ? 

While the Grecian Church was confined almost to the 
city of Constantinople, the Romish Church was established 
over all Europe, Asia, and Africa. 

693. Mention some of the countries under the dominion of the 
Romish Church at the commencement of the sixteenth century. 

Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, England, Scotland, Swe- 
den and Denmark, and Poland, with other European States, 
and China, Asia, and Africa. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



119 



Chapter XXXII. 

Concerning the Keformation — A.D. 1501 to A.D. 1600. 



694. Give an outline of the religious condition of the Church at 
the commencement of the sixteenth century. 

Its chief ofBcers were vain, ambitious men, stained with 
every conceivable crime from evil thoughts to murder and 
incest. Its institutions had become CDgines of torture, and 
its chief work a work of death. It had changed its char- 
ities to revenge, its salvation for superstition, and its doc- 
trines had been displaced by the commandments of men. 
Its means of grace it had changed for a source of revenue. 
It had put its priests in the place of Jesus, and its Pope in 
the place of God. Its pity had been turned to hate, and 
its sympathies to fiery revenge. 

695. What had God promised concerning the Church? 
That the gates of hell should not prevail against it." 

696. Had '^he forgotten to be gracious?" 

No. Year after year and century after century he called 
up men to deliver his people and preserve his truth; but 
like as in the ancient Egyptian monarch, the hard-heart- 
edness of men held his people and his truth in bondage. 

697. Was the truth of God preserved through all the period of 
darkness and corruption ? 

Yes. In the writings of the apostles and fathers, kept 
before the world by the agitations of a few holy men, the 
truth has been well preserved, and we have it now as it 
is in Jesus." 

698. If you examine the Church of this period as to its ordi- 
nances, sacraments, doctrines, ministers* etc., does it bear as close a 



120 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



resemblance to the apostolic Church as the Church in the wilder- 
ness" did? 

By no means. The doctrines of the Church in the wil- 
derness, its ministers and its sacraments, were in all essen- 
tial particulars identical with those of the apostolic day. 

699. What does D'Aubigne say concerning the condition of the 
Church at this period ? 

Volume I., page 56: There was a stated price for mur- 
der, infanticide, perjury, adultery, burglary, etc.'' 

700. Can it be wondered at that God should purge his Church 
of such corruption? 

ISTo. The most v;onderful thought connected with it is 
that he should have borne so long with the sins and follies 
of his people. 

701. How does St. John prophesy of this period ? 
Revelation xvii. 5 : '^And upon her forehead was a name 

written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE 
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS 
OF THE EARTH." 

702. What comments are made upon this passage from Revela- 
tion xvii.? 

Jenks says : " The unchristian tyranny and seductions had 
reduced the Church into a most desolate state, and made 
it like a desert." Scott says the Roman Catholic Church 
is entitled to the name ' Mystery, Babylon the Great.' . . 
She is in fact the ' Mother of Harlots and Abominations of 
the Earth.' " Similar testimony is borne by Clarke, Henry, 
McKnight, and others. 

703. Did God raise up a great and powerful nation for the pnri- 
fying of his Church ? 

No. Had he done so, the arm of man might have been 
seen in the Reformation more plainly^ than the hand of God. 

704. What method did he adopt in order to efiect this wonder- 
ful work ? 

His own grace and power as put forth in the individual 
effect of his humble servants. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



121 



705. Who was his principal agent in perfecting this great work? 
Martin Luther, the son of a poor miner, who worked in 

the Thuringian mines. He was born November 10, A.D. 
1483, and was dedicated to God in baptism the next day 
after his birth. 

706. Where was Martin Luther born, and why was he named 
Martin f 

He was born at Eisleben, in Saxony, and was named 
Martin because he was born on the evening of the day 
called "St. Martin's Day." 

707. Who were the parents of this ilhistrious man? 
John Luther and Margarette Lindemann. 

708. What is said of Martin Luther's early life? 

He was studious, pious, and perfectly trustworthy. He 
was highly educated, and at an early age became a monk 
of the order of St. Augustine. In A.D. 1509 he was made 
a bachelor of divinity, and at once began to preach. Some 
time between 1509 and 1512 he was made a doctor of di- 
vinity. During this time he was called to the University 
at Wittenberg. 

709. W^hat seems remarkable in connection with his call to the 
university ? 

The fact that a man so young and so pure should have 
been called to a school which had been chartered by Fred- 
eric as an oracle, and that too just at the time when no 
other movement would so effectually have overturned the 
whole of Romanism. 

710. What steps did Luther take to bring about the Reforma- 
tion? 

In his life he was pure, in his learning he was thorough, 
and in his preaching he resorted to the Bible for his argu- 
ments and proofs. 

711. What particular acts first provoked the opposition of Lu- 
ther, and set his heart on reforming tlte Church? 

The conduct of Letzel, the peddler in indulgences, who 
9 



122 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



drove the poor young man Myconius away because he 
wanted the pardon of sins " without money and without 
price." 

712. What conduct on the part of Luther first excited the oppo- 
sition of the Church people against him? 

While acting as confessor at Wittenberg a great num- 
ber of people came to him to confess their sins and obtain 
pardon. Some confessed murder, some adultery, some usury, 
etc. Luther corrected, reproved, and exhorted the people 
who had confessed to forsake their sins. This they said 
they would not do. Still he urged. They appealed to 
their letters of indulgences, to which Luther replied : " I 
have nothing to do with those papers. ^Except ye repent, 
ye shall all likewise perish f " 

713. What effect did Luther's conduct have on Letzel, the in- 
dulgence peddler ? 

He stormed and raged and cursed Luther, and threat- 
ened to burn all who opposed the doctrine of indulgences. 
This called out a rejoinder from Luther in a public dis- 
course delivered at Wittenberg, which finally set the 
wheels of Reformation in motion. 



123 



Chapter XXXIII. 

Concerning the Eeformation — from A.D. 1501 to A.D. 
1600 (Continued). 



714. Did Luther propose anv new doctrines or organize any new 
sect? 

He did not. His object was to work in the Church and 
purify it; not to create schisms or engender strife, but to 
return to the old landmarks left by the apostles. 

715. At what date may we consider the Eeformation as fully in- 
augurated ? 

At the time of the calling of the Diet of Worms in 
A.D. 1521. 

716. What was the result of the Diet there ? 

Luther was granted a safe return to his home; but after 
leaving Worms the Diet condemned him. 

717. What measures did Frederic the Wise adopt to prevent the 
assassination of Luther? 

He dispatched three tried and true men, who, overtaking 
Luther, conveyed him to the castle of Wurtemberg, where 
he was kept in seclusion for ten months. 

Note. — D'Aubigne says there were five men, and intimates that the whole 
thing was without the knowledge of Frederic; while Dr. Mosheim says there 
were three, and suggests that Frederic was cognizant of the whole proceeding. 
The fact that Frederic, who was a warm friend to Luther, made no inquiry as 
to his whereabouts, and the fact thai all historical accounts of the affair neg- 
lect to mention any anxiety upon the part of those princes who had espoused 
Luther's cause, strengthened by the further fact that Luther left the castle at 
his own option, calling it his Patmos, go to sustain the opinion set forth above. 

718. For what purpose did Luther leave Wurtemberg? 

That he might check the excessive zeal of his yc^u g co- 
laborer, Carlostadt, who had violently thrown down the 
images in the church at Wittenberg, and broken them in 
pieces. 



124 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



719. What important changes were effected by Providence in 
1526 to 1527 to further the cause of the Eeformation ? 

John, the successor of Frederic the Wise, threw off the 
papal yoke, and established a church in Saxony, under 
rules, regulations, and doctrines prepared by Melanchthon 
under the advice of Luther. 

720. What was the general outlook for the Reformation soon after 
this step was taken by John ? 

The papal authorities began to talk of war against the 
reformers, and to threaten to put a stop to their success by 
taking their lives. 

721. BTow was this calamity postponed? 

A Diet was called at Speyer in 1526, which passed reso- 
lutions granting a sort of religious liberty until a general 
council could be called to decide the questions in dispute. 
Besides this, Charles V. besieged Rome in 1527, and so en- 
gaged the Emperor and Pope that they had no time to 
make war on the reformers. 

722. What was the duration of the impetus and protection thus 
given to the reformers? 

It was only temporary. In 1529 another Diet was called 
at Speyer, which repealed the resolution of three years be- 
fore. 

723. What course did the friends of reformation pursue after 
the Diet of 1529 repealed the resolutions of the Diet of 1526? 

Regarding this action as unjust, and believing a General 
Council could be convened as well as a Diet, they issued a 
protest to the action of the Diet of 1529. 

724. When was that protest issued, and what resulted from it? 
It was issued April 19th, 1529; and from the fact that 

they had protested, they were called Protestants. 

725. What circumstances gave rise to the Augsburg Confession? 
The Protestants were accused of all the strange doctrines 

of the various fanatical sects of that age, and the Elector 
of Saxony, in order to set before the world just what the 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



125 



Protestants did believe, requested Melanchthon to draw up 
a confession of faith, which he did with the advice of 
Luther. This confession was read to the Emperor and 
princes at Augsburg in 1530. 

726. State when and by whom the Reformation was introduced 
into the different countries of Europe? 

The Reformation was introduced into Germany by Lu- 
ther in A.D. 1517; into Switzerland by Melanchthon in 
1519, and into France by Calvin in 1529. John Knox 
carried the Reformation into Scotland in 1560, and George 
Brown carried it into Ireland and the United Provinces in 
1566. In 1530 Olans Petri carried it into Sweden. Den- 
mark received it in 1521, but by whom is not so certain. 

Note. — When the work was fully inaugurated four years later— viz., in 1521 
— Germany was the cradle of the Reformation. 

727. What remarkable effect did this War of the Keformation 
have on the superstition and ignorance of the people, particularly 
of the Church of Kome, and on the educational interests of the 
country? 

Very great. Historians mention the fact that twenty- 
seven universities were established during and immediately 
after the Reformation. The doctors of divinity began the 
study of Greek anew, and obtained more correct ideas of 
the teachings of the apostles, and of the audacity of Rome 
in mutilating the apostolic writings. 

728. We have spoken of the Confession of Augsburg — what did 
the papacy do about that confession ? 

The Pope appointed Faber and others to reply to it. 

729. What was the character of this reply, and what did the 
Pope's legates do with it? 

It was a contradiction of the Confession of Augsburg, to 
which the Pope's legates demanded the assent of all the 
reformers; and when Melanchthon and others desired a 
copy of it that they might show its folly, the Pope re- 
fused it. 



126 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



730. In 1530, when the Emperor had threatened to subdue Prot- 
estantism by secular force, what did those princes do who were the 
friends of the Protestant movement? 

They entered into an alliance for the better protection of 
their states and provinces against the powerful influence of 
Rome. 

731. By what name is this alliance known in history ? 
The Alliance of Smalcald. 

732. Did Rome carry out her threats? 

She did as far as she was able. In 1547 the Saxony 
princes met the Emperor's forces, and after a short battle 
their army was routed, and the Elector of Saxony and the 
Landgrave of Hesse were taken prisoners. A treaty of 
peace was agreed to in the same year, by which the Prot- 
estants were to recognize Ferdinand as King of the Ro- 
mans, and pay an indemnity to Rome to help fight the 
Turks. 

733. What concessions were made to the reformers in this 
treaty ? 

They were to have religious liberty till such time as the 
long-promised General Council could be called. 

734. While the above-named facts were transpiring, what impor- 
tant events occurred ? 

The appearance at Munster of a wild and blasphemous 
sect, called Anabaptists, and the withdrawal of Henry 
VIII. from the jurisdiction of the Church of Rome. 

735. What was the effect of the conduct of the Anabaptists? 

It was exceedingly hurtful to the cause of the Reforma- 
tion, as all who opposed Rome were now called Protestants, 
and the conduct of this sect was alike offensive to Protest- 
ants and Romans. 

736. What was the effect of the course pursued by Henry VIII.^ 
King of England? 

While it drew the attention of the Pope from the move- 
ments of the reformers, and incidentally gave them some 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



127 



protection, it was of no real service, for this royal demon 
became as vile an enemy to the Reformation as Paul III. 
or Alexander. 

737. What was the statvs of the Koman Catholic Church in 
England after Henry VIII. declared himself as the head of the 
Church in that kingdom? 

It ceased to have an official existence in England, and 
the Church which Henry VIII. set up is the (Episcopal) 
Church of England. 

738. How was the struggle for religious liberty — independence 
of the Pope and Emperor of Eome — brought to a close ? 

In 1552 Maurice, whose father-in-law (Philip, the Land- 
grave of Hesse) was taken a prisoner in 1537, and not re- 
leased as Maurice had hoped, raised a powerful army, and 
marching upon the Emperor (Charles V.), so surprised and 
routed his forces as to compel him to accept terms at the 
hands of Maurice. 

739. What had become of Luther during these struggles? 
Luther died February 18, 1546. 



128 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXXIV. 

Of the Reformation — From A.D. 1501 to A.D. 1600. 



740. What was Luther's opinion as to defending religion with 
carnal weapons ? 

The only weapons he recognized Y^ere faith and prayer, 

741. Did Luther live to see his co-laborers driven to the use of 
the sword in order to avoid fagots, fire, and the rack ? 

He did not. He was permitted to see the cloud rise and 
hear the iBrst drops of the purifying rain of heaven, but 
never heard the thunder nor saw the storm which shook 
the shackles from the Church of God. 

742. By what name is the treaty between Maurice and Charles 
V. known in history ? 

The Treaty of Pacification. 

743. Why is it so called? 

Because it settled the question as to the rights of the re- 
formers, and pacified the hostilities of Rome. 

744. What were the provisions of the first articles ? 

*^The first three articles agreed that Maurice and his 
confederates should lay down their arms, and should lend 
their troops to Ferdinand to defend Germany against the 
Turks, and that Philip should be set at liberty." (Mos- 
heim.) 

745. What was stipulated in the fourth article? 

*'That the rule of faith called the Interim should be con- 
sidered null and void ; that the contending parties should 
enjoy the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion 
until a Diet should be assembled to determine amicably 
the present dispute [which Diet was to meet in the space 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



129 



of six months] ; and that this religious liberty should con- 
tinue always if it should be found impossible to come to an 
uniformity in doctrine and worship." (Mosheim.) 

746. What farther agreements were reached in this famous 
treaty ? 

" That all who had suffered banishment, or any other 
calamity, on account of the league of Smalcald should be 
reinstated to their privileges, possessions, and employments;" 
that a certain number of reformers were to be ahvays at- 
tached to the Diet of Speyer, and that high court should be 
open to them as well as to the Catholics. 

747. The fourth article of this treaty mentions the Interim. 
What is meant by the Interim? 

It was a formulary draw^n up by order of the Emperor 
in the interval of General Councils, and was called the In- 
terim because it came between the councils, and was tem- 
porary. 

748. In the agreements appended to the treaty the league of 
Smalcald is mentioned. Will you explain what that was? 

It was an agreement entered into A.D. 1530 by all those 
princes W'ho were friendly toward the Protestants — and al- 
ready noticed in these "facts" — to combine their forces to 
resist the secular power of the Pope of Rome. 

749. The fourth article agreed that a General Council should be 
called in six months. What was the result of that agreement ? 

For what seems to be good reasons, the Council was not 
convened till 1555, or nearly three years after the treaty. 

750. When the Council met, what did it do? 

It decided that the Protestants who followed the Confes- 
sion of Augsburg — that draw^n up by Melanchthon, and 
mentioned before — should be exempt from the jurisdiction 
of the Pope, and from the authority of the bishops of the 
Church of Rome ; that they should have perfect liberty to 
enact laws for themselves relative to religion, and to at- 



130 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



tach themselves to that Church which they thought purest; 
that all those who injured any person on account of relig- 
ious views, or for religious sentiments, should be punished 
as enemies of the empire and invaders of liberty. 

751. How were matters in England at this time? 

Henry VIII. was dead, and Edward VI. had succeeded 
to the crown. The course pursued by Edward was just 
the reverse of that pursued by Henry, and his reign prom- 
ised to be one of great blessing to Protestantism. 

752. Why were the hopes of the Protestants not fullj realized? 
This noble prince (Edward VI.) lived only about six 

years, when he was succeeded by his sister Mary, who, with 
all the cruelty of her wicked father (Henry VIII.) , began 
again to deluge her country and her people with blood. 

753. How long did this wretched state of things last? 
About eleven years, when this wicked creature died, and 

left the crown to ^^the Lady Elizabeth," who again inaugu- 
rated a reign of peace and love. 

754. What was the effect of the reign of Queen Elizabeth? 
Protestantism became an established fact in England, 

and Rome entirely lost its hold. 

755. What was the cause of Henry VIII. withdrawing from the 
Church of Kome ? 

Having fallen in love with one of the queen's maids, he 
desired a divorce from his wife that he might marry the 
maid ; but, according to the laws of the Church of Rome, 
sanctioned by the laws of England, a divorce was not valid 
unless signed by the Pope. The Pontiff refused to sign the 
divorce as head of the Church, and Henry, in order to 
meet the technicalities of the law, announced himself as 
head of the Church, so that he might sign his own divorce. 

756. Was this the origin of the Church of England ? 

It was; and from this Church the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States has its origin. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



131 



757. After the death of Luther, who became the leader of the 
Protestant cause ? 

Melanchthon, a man of extraordinary learning, sagacity, 
and logical acumen. His pen was ever ready, and the 
words which fell from it were pillars of strength to the 
Reformation. 



132 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXXV. 

Concerning Some of the Sects in Existence During the 
Sixteenth Century. 



758. What is said of the Nestorians during this time? 

On page 425, Mosheim speaks of them as having disap- 
peared ; but as they are elsewhere mentioned in connection 
with occurrences of this century, it is probable they had a 
feeble existence — partly known as Nestorians and partly as 
Jacobites. 

759. What became of the Greek Church during the period of 
the Reformation? 

It kept its members pretty well together, and to some 
extent threw off the enormities it had put on under the 
pupilage of the Church of Rome. 

760. What had become of the Monophy cites ? 
They had a feeble existence in Asia and Afi'ica. 

761. What new school of theologians sprung up during this cent- 
ury which gave shape to the theology of the present age? 

The Arminians. 

762. What is said of several sects scattered over Asia who 
claimed their origin from John the Baptist ? 

That they were not of such origin ; but were the offspring 
of a Jewish faction headed by a man by the name of John. 

763. What is said of the Ebionites and Manicheans? 

That there were some sects in Asia who claimed to have 
derived their doctrines and usages from those ancient sects. 
There are also some traces of the Maronites in this cent- 
ury. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



133 



764. When did the Lutheran Church spring up? 

The origin of the Lutherans may be put at the signing 
of the treaty between Maurice, Elector of Saxony, and 
Charles V., in 1552. Some historians date their origin 
from the reading of the " Confession " at Augsburg in 1530. 

765. What was the condition of the Mennonites (a sect which 
sprung up in 1436 under Menno) at the close of the work of refor- 
mation ? 

They had been divided and subdivided into a number of 
factions under the name of Anabaptists; but, encouraged 
by the results of the Reformation, they succeeded in draw- 
ing some of their sects into a solid communion ; and about 
1572 William, Prince of Orange, procured for them an act 
of toleration. 

766. When thus recognized, did they adopt the doctrines and 
principles of the Anabaptists or those of Simon Menno? 

They adopted the views of Menno, and in a Confession 
of Faith published in 1626 they denied all connection with, 
and sympathy for, the ''fanatical sect of the Anabaptists." 

767. How were the Mennonites divided? 

Mainly into two branches. One was called Waterlandi- 
ans, the other was called Flanderins. 

768. What did the Mennonites teach concerning the Church? 

1. That there was an invisible Church, composed of mem- 
bers from all sects and communities that bear the Christian 
name. 2. That the mark of a true Church is not found in 
the unspotted sanctity of all its members, but in subscrib- 
ing to the truth as it is in Christ and an agreement to de- 
fend that truth. 

769. Which of the branches of the Mennonites taught that 
" subscribing to the truth as it is in Christ nd an agreement to de- 
fend that truth" were the marks of a true Church? 

That branch known as Flanderins, and so called because 
they lived principally in Flanders. 



134 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



770. What did the Waterlandians teach concerning the nature 
of the Church? 

That holiness of life and purity of manners were the 
marks of a true Church, 

771. Were the Mennonites otherwise divided than as has been 
already stated? 

Yes. There are two other sects which probably sprung 
from the Mennonites — one which is known by the simple 
title of Baptists, and another known as Antipedobaptists. 

772. What forms of doctrines and usages did the Baptists adopt? 
The Baptists adopted the doctrines and usages of the 

Presbyterian Church, except as to baptism. 

773. By what other name are these Baptists known? 
By the title of Particular Baptists. 

774. By what name are the Antipedobaptists called in history? 
They are sometimes known by the name of General Bap- 
tists. 

775. State some facts concerning this Church. 

They believe that from the time the body dies until the 
resurrection the soul is in a state of insensibility* that 
theirs is the only Church of Christ; they refuse to com- 
mune with other Christians; they use the Eomish ceremony 
of extreme unction; they have in the officery of their 
Church bishops, elders, and deacons ; and " are," says Mos- 
heim, page 501, "persons, in the most part, of mean condi- 
tion, and almost totally destitute of learning and knowl- 
edge." 

776. What other sect sprung out of the Mennonites, or Anabap- 
tists? 

The Davidists, or David Georgians, so called from their 
leader, David George; and out of the Davidists grew a 
sect called the Family of Love. None of them ever came 
to much. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



135 



777. Why were the Flanderins, Waterlandians, and many other 
sects, called Mennonites? 

Because they adopted many of the views of Simon 
Menno. 

778. Why was Menno called an Anabaptist? 

Because he adopted some of the views of those fanatics 
who were known by that name. 

Note. — We have followed the outlines of the history of the most important 
sects which were in existence at the close of the sixteenth century; but it 
must be borne in mind that there are a great number of which we have not 
spoken; and some of them too which have done a great work for God and the 
souls of men. The Reform Church, which was a part of the Lutheran Church, 
and sprung up in the sixteenth century, and out of which the Presbyterian 
Church has grown. The Quakers also have shown a solid piety and a spirit of 
sincere devotion. The Socinians, which were probably the result of a reopen- 
ing of the Arian controversy, besides a vast number of others, have been un- 
touched, because the history of those sects would too much enlarge ourwork. 



136 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXXVI. 

Concerning the Church of England. 



779. WiLii you please state again the cause which led to the 
organization of the Church of England? 

About A.D. 1543 Henry VIII., King of England, who 
had been married to Catherine of Aragon, became enam- 
ored of Anne Boleyn, to whom he desired to be married. 
To that end he appealed to Clement VII. for a divorce; but 
Clement refused to grant it, fearing the displeasure of the 
Emperor Ferdinand. As the sanction of some one who 
was recognized as the head of the Church was necessary 
to make the divorce law^ful, and as Clement VII., as head 
of the Church, refused, Henry VIII. declared himself head 
of the Church, thereby securing the divorce, and cutting his 
realm loose from Rome. 

780. Having cut loose from Rome, did Henry VIII. make any 
effort to return to the simplicity and })urity of the apostolic day? 

He did not; but was as wicked in life and cruel in ad- 
ministration as Clement VII. or Ferdinand, and even more 
so. 

781. What was the doctrinal tendency of the Church of England 
during the reign of Henry YIII.? 

There was a general tendency toward the doctrines of 
the Lutherans, and also toward the forms of worship in use 
in that Church. 

782. What change took place during the reign of Edward VI.? 
The doctrines of Calvinism — of the Reformed Church — 

were adopted. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



137 



783. What circumstances gave rise to the people called Puri- 
tans? 

The inhuman cruelty of Queen Mary caused many of 
her subjects, in 1554, to leave England, and seek refuge in 
Germany. There many of them adhered to the forms of 
worship adopted under Edward VI., while others took up 
the customs of the Swiss, or Calvinistic, churches. Those 
who followed the customs of Edward were called Conform- 
ists, while those who adopted the other customs were called 
Puritans, or Non-conformists. 

784. How did these distinctions get into English ecclesiasti- 
cism? 

On the ascension of Elizabeth to the throne of England 
those refugees returned from Germany, and brought these 
differences with them. 

785. What effort did Elizabeth put forth to heal these differ- 
ences? 

She sought to return to the forms of the apostolic times, 
ignoring in a measure both the Conformists and Puritans; 
and to further these designs, the Act of Uniformity was 
passed, and an order issued by the queen commanding her 
subjects to follow the requirements of the Act of Uniform- 
ity. 

786. When did the Church of England change its doctrines to 
Arminianism? 

About A.D. 1618 or 1620. 

787. Why was this change effected? 

Because of the doctrine of Calvinism, that by the de- 
cree of God certain persons were excluded from the possi- 
bility of salvation. 

788. What was the effect of this controversy on the Reformed 
Church? 

It divided it into several factions. 
10 



138 



The 'Church : 



What it is and Whence it is. 



789. Mention some of the sects which were developed hj this 
controversy. 

The Universalists, the Semi-universalists, the Supralap- 
sarians, etc. 

790. As to this point, what is the difference between Calvinism 
and Universalism ? 

Calvinism believes that God will, by his purpose and 
grace, save a part of the human race; while Universalism 
believes he will, by his purpose and grace, save all the hu- 
man race. 

791. Is either view according to the Bible ? 

Only in part. In 1 Timothy ii. 3, 4, Paul says, " God 
will have all men to be saved;" and in Ephesians ii. 8, he 
tells us hoiv God will have us saved (^vhich is not by his will 
power nor by his decrees) : " For by grace are ye saved 
through faith." Salvation is by the grace of God through 
the faith of man in Jesus Christ. 

792. Had the Calvinistic controversy ceased when on the 
death of James I. his son Charles succeeded to the throne of En- 
gland ? 

It had not; and Charles went to work to crush out Cal- 
vinism and establish Arminianism. 

793. Did he succeed? 

No. He crushed out the liberties of the people, and 
forced an episcopal form of government on an unwilling 
nation. 

794. To what did these high-handed measures lead? 

They led to the loss of the king's head. By force of 
arms he was overpoAvered, accused of treason, and behead- 
ed on a public scaffold. 

795. "What was the result of the reign of Oliver Cromwell on 
the affairs of the Church of England ? 

Cromwell tolerated all forms of doctrine and worship, 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



139 



except that peculiar idea which cost Charles his head. 
Bishops were deprived of all power and emoluments under 
Cromwell, and the Presbyterians and Independents were 
peculiarly favored by him. 

796. What course did Charles II. pursue? 

He undid all that Cromwell did — restored the bishops 
as well as the ceremonies of Edward VI. 

797. What was the result of the succession of William III. to 
the throne of England? 

A large number of bishops refused to recognize William, 
Prince of Orange, as king, believing James II. was the 
rightful sovereign, and would not therefore take the oath 
of allegiance to William III. On this account they were 
excluded from the Church of England. 

798. What did these bishops do? 

They organized another Church, which was denominated 
the High Church, because of the exalted opinions they en- 
tertained of the dignity and authority of the Church. 

799. How do these High-church people regard those who are 
not of their Church? 

They look upon them as schismatics— members of no 
Church — and particularly in rebellion against the Church. 

800. What was the tendency of High-churchism ? 

The tendency of High-churchism was decidedly toward 
Romanism. 

801. What was the tendency of the conduct of the Low-church 
party ? 

The tendency of the Low-churchmen was toward the 
apostolic forms of doctrine and worship. 

802. Do these differences — High-church and Low-church — still 
exist in the Church of England ? 

They do; and while the Low-church party is gaining 



140 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



ground, the High-church party is constantly going over to 
Romanism. 

803. Does the Church of England hold its place with other 
Churches in that kingdom? 

No. The Methodists and Presbyterians are both gain- 
ing ground over it. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



141 



Chapter XXXVII. 

Of the Wesleyan Movement in the Kevival of Eeligion 
IN THE Church of England. 



804. What was the condition of the Church of England at and 
for some time after the close of the seventeenth century ? 

The clergy of that Church was generally sunken into a 
state of lukewarmness and indifference. 

805. What effect did the fallen condition of the ministry pro- 
duce on the membership ? 

The better class was disgusted, while infidelity made 
rapid advances, and the giddy lovers of worldly pleasure 
were exultant. 

806. Was this spiritual decline general? 

Mosheim says "sneers at religion began to be a part of 
the fashionable system/' from which we may infer that the 
Church was very far gone from that state of purity to 
which Edward VI. and Elizabeth had tried to restore it. 
Their labors had been in vain, and instead of a reforma- 
tion from vice, superstition, and high-handed ecclesiastical 
oppression to gospel purity and simplicity, the current had 
set in the opposite direction, and all were drifting back to 
the old state of lethargy from which Luther, Melanchthon, 
and others had tried to awaken the Church a hundred years 
before. 

807. While the doctrine and polity of the Church had in some 
measure been reformed, was the reformation thorough, reaching 
into all departments of the Church ? 

All departments of the Church had been more or less 



142 



The Chicrch : What it is and Whence it is. 



affected by the Reformation, but it was far from being what 
the reformation under the apostles made it. 

808. What comparison may we find between the Wesley an and 
apostolic reformation ? 

There is a very great similarity: 1. The reliance of the 
reformers in each case, unlike the other reformations* in 
the other ages, was upon divine grace. 2. They did not es- 
tablish a new Church, but purified and simplified the old — 
working in it, not out of it nor against it. 3. In each case 
— the Wesleyan and apostolic reformation — the change was 
in the name, and not in the purposes of the Church of 
God. 

809. How did the other reformations differ from these in that 
respect? 

Except in the conduct of Luther, Zwingli, Melanchthon, 
and one or two other pi'ominent reformers of the sixteenth 
century, there were constantly recurring acts of violence 
and breaches of the peace. 

810. Were not the apostles and Wesley accused of such things 
also ? 

Yes; but in every case unjustly. 

811. What have we seen as the result of Henry VIH. throwing 
off the papal yoke ? 

Though he threw the yoke from his own neck, he placed 
one equally galling on the necks of the people; and while 
he refused to recognize the Pope, he forced the people to 
recognize him as the head of the Church. 

812. How did the conduct of Calvin differ from that of the apos- 
tles and Wesley? 

He obtained authority in Switzerland, and exercised that 
authority over the conscience of the people. 

813. What other differences may we suggest as between almost 



* Calvin and others used fire and sword when arguments failed — e. g., 
Charles II. and Dr. Servetus. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



143 



all other reformers and Mr. Wesley, as he followed the apostles' ex- 
ample ? 

While Mr. Wesley was intensely radical in matters of 
essential importance, he was remarkably conservative in 
all non-essential things. His rule was: "Make all you 
can; save all you can; give all you can." His doctrine 
was : " By grace are ye saved, through faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ."' The Donatists left the Church because the 
man of their choice was not elected bishop. The Mennon- 
ites, who were composed almost entirely of the different 
sorts of Anabaptists, excluded from their communion all 
who were not baptized in it. The Waldenses, finding fault 
with the Church, went out and set up a ministry of lay- 
men, transferred confession from the priest to any pious 
brother, and opposed the accumulation of commercial val- 
ues among their people. 

814. Did not the apostles set up a new ministry of laymen, as 
well as the Waldenses? 

Only such as were "called to be apostles — not of the 
flesh nor of the will of man," but by the grace of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

815. Did not Mr. \Yesley set up a ministry of laymen? 

'Not in the same sense that the Waldenses did. He ap- 
pointed men to go out and enlighten the people on the plan 
of salvation ; but in Europe, where he lived, he never estab- 
lished a Church at all, and established one in America only 
when the Revolution, and the changed form of government 
in the United States, left America without the ministry of 
the Church to which he belonged. 

816. Of what Church did Mr. Wesley live and die a member? 
Mr. Wesley lived, preached, was ordained, and died in 

the Church of England. 

817. What incited Mr. Wesley to the course he pursued? 

By reading the Bible, he found that the doctrines of the 



144 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



new birth and the witness of the Spirit were taught there, 
but were not inculcated by the ministry nor required by 
the Church of England. As he compared the Church to 
the Bible, he found that the scriptural standard of piety 
had been so lowered by the Church as to greatly endanger 
the souls of men. 



The CImrch: What it is and Whence it is. 



145 



Chapter XXXVIII. 

Concerning the Moravians and their Influence on the 
Wesleyan Movement. 

Note. — We have purposely omitted an extended account of the Moravians, 
having only mentioned them as United Brethren, one of the names by which 
they are known in history. Their influence enters so largely into this part of 
our history that we deemed it best to reserve a place for them nearer the 
scene of their greatest importance. 

818. What gave rise to the Moravian Brethren? 

In the fifteenth century — about 1402 or 1405 — religious 
contests became exceedingly sharp, especially in Bohemia. 
John Huss (whom we have before mentioned), being grieved 
at the corruption and arrogance of the high officials of 
the Church, and being professor of divinity in the univer- 
sity at Prague, and pastor of the Church there, after trying 
in vain to correct those errors, in 1408 he tried to with- 
draw the university from the authority of the Pope. For 
these and other reasons, in 1410 he was expelled from the 
Church. V 

819. What had this to do with the origin of the Moravians? 
The seed sown by Huss had taken deep root in the minds 

of the people, and when, on the 6th of "July, 1415, John 
Huss w'as burned alive, his friends at once resolved upon 
revenge. 

820. How did they set about it? 

They " retired to a steep and high mountain," where they 
could worship God "according to the dictates of their own 
conscience; chose Nicolas and Ziska as leaders; fortified 
their mountain retreat, and resolved on war against the 
creatures of the Koman pontiflT." 



146 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



821. How did thej succeed in this wicked enterprise? 

They created great confusion, slew many an antagonist, 
and in 1433 were in some measure recognized by their op- 
posers by being invited to the Council of Basil. 

822. When and how did these Hussites take the name of Mora- 
vians ? 

Not till the eighteenth century were they known as Mo- 
ravians, and then for the reason that, through all these 
long years, while Kome idly supposed nothing was left of 
the Hussites save their memory, they suddenly sprung up 
in Moravia, on account of which they were called Mora- 
vians. In 1749 they were recognized in England by an 
act of toleration as composing an ancient Protestant Epis- 
copal Church, and under the name of United Brethren. 

823. At what date did the Moravians settle in North America? 
As early as 1728 there were large numbers of them in 

this country, and perhaps at an earlier date their mission- 
aries were among the colonists and savages of Georgia and 
the New England States.* 

824. What are some of the peculiar customs of the Moravians 
which have been incorporated into the Methodist Church ? 

The observance of the love-feast, which has a shadow of 
support from apostolic usage ; the doctrine of perfect love, 
and a knowledge of sins forgiven as the basis of real relig- 
ious enjoyment and spiritual prosperity; the love of song; 
zeal for mission work, and the encouragement of learning. 

825. What has been the success of the Moravians in building 
up their organization ? 

Notwithstanding their establishment in this country at 
so early a date, they number now (1884) only about four 
thousand communicants — perhaps less. 

*Dr. Baird puts their first settlement m Pennsylvania in 1732 (pagel63) 
The great number of Palatines coming to this country in 1710 suggests that 
Moravians were here at that early date. Count Zinzendorf visited America 
in 1741. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



147 



826. Will 7011 state how it came about that a sect so small has 
exercised an influence in the formation of another and a different 
sect, which has so far outstripped it in numbers and influence? 

Mr. Wesley, who was born and educated in the Church 
of England, had not been properly trained in the deep spir- 
itual privileges of Christians, but coming in contact with 
Mr. Bohler, a Moravian preacher, he was led to inquire 
into and understand the nature and sublimity of gospel 
faith — faith that justifies and sanctifies the soul.* Bohler 
went to Oxford when the Wesleys were at school (probably 
by invitation of John Wesley), when he delivered "daily 
lectures in Latin on the doctrine of grace/' f greatly to the 
comfort and edification of the " Methodists." 



* Stevens's History, Vol. I., page 34. flbid. 



148 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



Chapter XXXIX. 

Of the Wesleys, and of John in Particular. . 

827. Who was the principal mover through whom these Mora- 
vians exerted such an influence? 

John Wesley, a man of rare eloquence, originality, piety, 
and learning. 

828. How many sermons is he supposed to have preached? 
About forty thousand. 

829. How many volumes of books did he write, first and last? 
The number is estimated by some at forty volumes, but 

Dr. Abel Stevens puts it at one hundred and seventy-two. 
(See note at end of chapter.) 

830. Where and when was John Wesley born? 
At Epworth, England, June 17th, 1703. 

831. Did he have any brothers or sisters? 
There were nineteen brothers and sisters. 

832. Who were his parents, and what was the profession or call- 
ing of his father? 

He was the son of Samuel and Susanna Wesley. His 
father was rector of the church at Epworth, England. 

833. What remarkable providence seems to have preserved 
John's life for the great work which he performed ? 

His father's house was burned, and just at the last mo- 
ment when rescue was possible, John, at the tender age of 
childhood, was preserved from the flames under very re- 
markable circumstances. 

834. Give some description of the character and work of John 
Wesley. 

The following extracts from the Nashville Christian Ad- 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



149 



vacate, February 9th, 1884, are very appropriate just here: 
"He was,'' says the editor, ''the most masterful, the se- 
verest, the most benignant figure in the ecclesiastical his- 
tory of the last hundred years. . . . His work abides, and 
his personality abides with it. He still leads the ever- 
swelling ranks of the Methodist hosts. . . . He did not 
merely 'blaze' the path that led back to New Testament 
doctrine, polity, and usage, but he conducted the march 
across the Red Sea of early persecution and the wilderness 
of conflicting opinion. . . . Power and repose, velocity 
and steadiness of movement, intensity and equipoise, are 
commingled wonderfully in this man with a mission from 
God. . . . Illuminated, called, commissioned, anointed 
from on high, he speaks as the oracles of God ; not as the 
ecclesiastical scribes of his day, but like his Master — as 
one having authority. A scholar, with the ancient and 
modern learning at his command; . . . love for souls he 
longed to save; whose parish was the world; ... a liv- 
ing embodiment of positive ' conviction and catholicity of 
spirit, contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to 
the saints, and yet ready to clasp hands with every man 
who loves truth and follows Christ." 

835. Give a description of the person of Mr. Wesley. 

He was of compact, erect form, ruddy face, clear blue 
eyes, aquiline nose. His mouth and chin expressed posi- 
tiveness tempered with persuasiveness and gentleness. His 
forehead was not high, but sloped gently up, giving it that 
appearance. His hair was worn long, and combed back 
behind his ears. 

836. "What was the first movement put on foot by this extraor- 
dinary man, looking to a revival of religion in his Church ? 

The organization of a class of young men for the pur- 
pose of studying the Scriptures, prayer, and mutual Chris- 
tian edification. 



150 The Church: Wliat it is and Whence it is. 



837. When was this class organized, and who at first composed 

it? 

In A.D. 1729 this class was organized by John and 
Charles Wesley, George Whitefield, and some others. 

838. What was the result of this singular system of religious 
inquiry ? 

Those who at first entered into it were soon found persuad- 
ing others to do so, and in a short while the company grew 
so large that it was necessary to organize other societies. 

839. When were the new organizations effected ? 
Whenever a sufficient number could be found who were 

willing to enter into them. 

Note.— The "American Cyclopedia " put down the number of vohimes writ- 
ten by John Wesley at 48. This is one volume less than the poetical works 
published by him and Charles, and two volumes less than are contained in 
his "Christian Library." I can make no calculation by which the number 
can be fixed at 48. John Wesley was the personal or joint author of prose 
productions, 118 volumes; poetical (he and Charles Wesley), 49 volumes; mu- 
sical productions, 5 volumes. Total number of volumes, 172. Besides this, 
in 1777 Mr. John Wesley started the Arminian Magazine, one of the tirst peri- 
odicals of the kind ever published under Protestant auspices. (Stevens, Vol. 
IV., page 458; Baird, page 488; Library of Universal Knowledge, article "J. 
Wesley.") 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



151 



Chapter XL. 

Concerning the Rapidity with which the Work of Mr. 
Wesley Spread, both in Europe and America. 



840. Will you briefly rehearse the facts over which we have 
passed since A.D. 1543? a 

At that time England withdrew from the papal author- 
ity of Eome. The Lutherans and Calvinists both tried 
their strength for the supremacy in England. Change 
after change took place in the doctrines and usages of the 
Church there, till in 1689, under William III., Parliament 
passed an act of toleration, by which all who dissented from 
the Church of England were to have perfect religious lib- 
erty. Instead of trying to purify the Church, sect after 
sect left it, until finally, about A.D. 1729, Wesley under- 
took this work of reviving religious and doctrinal truth in 
the Church, with the results already indicated. 

841. What circumstance combined with Mr. Wesley's great tal- 
ent to enlarge the scope of his influence? 

The application of steam for purposes of navigation, the 
immense emigration from England to this country, and the 
freedom afforded by the American Colonies to religious 
opinions and practices. 

842. How did these facts contribute to the influence of Mr. 
Wesley ? 

The work of Watts and Fulton facilitated the immigra- 
tion of the devout lovers of religious purity, while the re- 
ligious liberty, or rather freedom from persecution, afibrded 
by the Colonies was a standing inducement for such as 
would naturally throw themselves under the influence of 
Mr. Wesley to seek refuge on the American shores. 



152 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



843. Did Mr. Wesley make any effort to establish his purpose, 
or preach the doctrine of salvation through faith^ in Europe? 

He did; particularly in England, Ireland, Scotland, and 
Wales. 

844. Why did Mr. Wesley preach in the fields, under the trees, 
and from his father's tombstone? 

Because the pastors of the regular Churches would not 
lend him the use of their pulpits. 

845. What special results did the work of Mr. Wesley produce 
in Ireland? 

The conversion and addition to his corps of workers of 
Adam Clarke, Henry Moore, Thomas Walsh, Ousley, and 
others, among w^hom was at least one (Dr. Clarke) of the 
most learned and pious men that generation produced. 

846. Do these names comprise the whole work of Wesley in Ire- 
land? 

By no means. In a settlement of a very peculiar peo- 
ple called Palatines, Mr. Wesley did a work w^hich stretched 
across the Atlantic, and furnished the gospel to the Amer- 
ican colonists. 

847. Wliat is probably the origin of these Palatines? 

There was in Germany an electorate known as the Palat- 
inate, in w^hich had flourished, till A.D. 1685, one of the 
most prosperous of the reformed Churches. At that time 
a Catholic prince was raised to the Palatinate electorate — 
in furtherance, no doubt, of the schemes of Louis XIV., 
who shortly after this laid waste the entire electorate, and 
the poor inhabitants fled to the English General. Queen 
Anne (see Note at 860) sent ships for them to Rotterdam, 
and took them to London; thence a large number went to 
Ireland, and settled where Mr. Wesley found them in A.D. 
1758."^ (See Note at end of this chapter.) 

*Mr. Stevens speaks of these Palatines as having been "nearly a cent- 
ury without a preacher who could ppeak their own language." I think it 
certain that these people left their houses as early as 1690. In 1710 continued 
disturbances brought many of them to this country. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it in. 



153 



848. Wliat are the names of some of these Pahitines who after 
this came to America? 

" Embury, Heck, Switzer, Guier, and others/^* 

849. When did these emigrants reach this country, and where 
did they land? 

They landed at New York August 10, 1760. 

850. What was Embury's profession? 

He was a carpenter by trade, and became a lay preacher 
before leaving Ireland. 

851. Where did Embury first preach in New York? 
In his own house. 

852. What results followed his preaching? 

His congregation soon grew too large for his small house, 
and they rented a larger one, and in a short time began to 
preach in the almshouse. Afterward they removed their 
place of meeting to a rigging-loft. 

853. What important accession did these Christians make in 
1767? 

They were joined by Thomas Webb. 

854. Who was Thomas Webb? 

He was a captain in the British army, and one of Wes- 
ley's " helpers," or local preachers. 

855. What was President Adams's opinion of Captain Webb as 
a speaker? 

He thought Captain Webb one of the most eloquent men 
he ever heard. 

856. While these things were going on here, what was being 
done in Europe ? 

Wesley, with his many co-laborers, was actively at work, 
and many houses were being built all over England and 
Ireland, and some in Scotland and Wales, for the use of 
the Methodists. 



* Stevens's History, Vol. I., page 50. 

11 



154 Tlte Church: What if is and Whence it is. 



857. Was Wesley's following a large one in Europe? 

The rapidity with which he gathered followers was sur- 
prising. 

858. When was the first meeting-house built in America by 
these Methodists? 

In 1768, and dedicated October 30 of that year. 

859. Who were the chief instruments in the building of this 
house, and who were the principal preachers ? 

Philip Embury and Captain Webb. 

860. Where was this house built? 

On J ohn street, in New York City. 

Note. — In 1683 the Roman elector was appointed over the Protestant settle- 
ments on the Rhine, known as the Palatinate. Five years after this, in 1688, 
Louis XIV. of France commenced a war on Germany, which continued for 
nine years. His effort was to make the Palatinate the base of his operations, 
for which reason he crossed the Rhine; and during the first operations de- 
stroyed that beautiful country, from which the Palatines went to England. 
Dr. Stevens is certainly mistaken in his declaration that Queen Anne sent 
ships to Rotterdam for the sufferers from Palatine. Charles II. was king 
when the war began; but before it closed, the reign of William and Mary 
began. William TIL died in 1702, and was succeeded by Anne, and she by 
George I. in 1714. The wars of Richard with Germany beginning in 1688 closed 
in 1697, William III. still occupying the English throne. Hence, these Pala- 
tines must have gone to England in 1680 or 1687, and it must have been William 
III. who sent ships to bring them to London. 

We beg pardon for such a lengthy note on a subject so foreign to the narra- 
tive in hand, but offer as one excuse the fact that the statements of others 
unexplained contradicts the thread of our narrative, while these facts justify it. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



155 



Chapter XLI. 

Concerning Wesley's Visit to the Colonies. 



861. AVken did AVesley make his first visit to this country? 

In 1735. In company with Gen. Oglethorpe he visited 
Georgia. 

862. Did Wesley, or Whitefield, or any of the preachers labor- 
ing with them, preach any new doctrine, or introduce any new rules 
of government into the Church of England? 

Thev did not ; but all of them gave a peculiar emphasis 
to the gospel truths taught by all the Anglican Churches. 

863. AVhat, then, so offended the Church as to cause its oflScers 
to refuse their pulpits to Wesley, Whitefield, Webb, Embury, Straw- 
bridge, and others? 

It was the importance they attached to " faith,'' " assur- 
ance,"' and sanctification.'^ 

864. What was the natural eifect of the exclusion of these men 
from the pulpits of the Church? 

They were forced to preach, if they preached at all, on 
the commons, in the fields, and in the market-places; and 
instead of having five hundred or one thousand hearers, 
they gathered around them ten thousand ; and sometimes 
no fewer than sixty thousand souls surrounded these men 
while they preached. 

865. W^hen was the first meeting-house in the world belonging 
to the Methodists built? 

In 1739 ; or ten years after the first class, or Holy 
Club," was organized. 

866. Were these people organized into a church or churches? 
They were not; for Wesley was still a rigid Churchman, 

and had it not been for the wise counsels of his mother, he 



156 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



would have silenced Maxfield from reading y because on 
some occasions he would " explain the sense of it." 

867. Who heard Maxfield, and what came of her commenda- 
tions of him ? 

The Countess of Huntingdon heard him, and so encour- 
aged him that Wesley gave in ; and from this circumstance 
began the vast army of local preachers. 

868. Could Wesley get local preachers enough to supply the 
societies as fast as they were organized? 

He could not; and this led to the plan of selecting the 
most active and useful preachers and sending them around 
from society to society. These preachers were called itin- 
erant, because they were always on the move; and the 
specified churches to which a preacher ministered was 
called a circuit 

869. What gave rise to the Annual Conferences? 

Having adopted the plan of having a great number of 
preachers traveling around, it was necessary for them to 
come together once a year to report progress, discuss plans, 
etc. The first Annual Conference was held June 25, 1744, 
in England. 

870. Did Wesley have a doctrinal test for membership in the 
societies? 

No. He admitted Calvinists, insisting on "only one 
condition." 

871. What did he explain that condition to be? 

"A real desire to save their souls."* Again he says: 
" We do not impose, in order to admission, any opinions 
whatever." 

872. If we turn to the different countries, what will we see of 
these societies now? 

We find the societies in great numbers in Great Britain, 
Ireland, Scotland, Nova Scotia, France, India, Africa, 
the West Indies, and North America. 

* Stevens's History, Vol. I., page 40. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 157 



873. We have seen that the Annual Conference in Great Britain 
was held in 1744. When was the first Conference held in America? 

In July, 1773; and it lasted from the 14th to the 16th of 
the month. 

874. How many preachers were present at this Conference, and 
who were they ? 

Nine, viz.: Thos. Rankin, Richard Boardman, Joseph 
Pilmoor, Francis Asbury, Richard Wright, George Shad- 
ford, Capt. Webb, John King, and Abram Whitworth. 

875. How many members of societies were reported to this Con- 
ference ? 

One thousand one hundred and sixty. 

876. What points were discussed by this Conference? 

1. That the authority of Mr. Wesley and the Conference 
ought to extend to the preachers, and in America as well 
as in Great Britain and Ireland. 2. That the doctrines 
and discipline contained in the minutes ought to be the 
sole rule of conduct for those who labored with Mr. Wes- 
ley in America. 3. That if any preacher deviated from 
those minutes he should have no fellowship with the other 
preachers till he changed his conduct. 

877. What rules were agreed upon in Conference at this session? 

1. None of Wesley's preachers in America were to ad- 
minister the Lord's Sapper and baptism. 2. All the peo- 
ple among whom the preachers labored were to be exhorted 
to attend the Churchy and receive the ordinances there, es- 
pecially in Maryland and Virginia.* 3. No person was to 
be admitted to the love-feast or society meetings more than 
" twice or thrice " unless they became members. 4. Preach - 
ers in America were not to reprint any of Mr. Wesley's 
works without the consent of the brethren. 5. Robert 
Williams was to sell the books he had printed, and to print 

* These two rules show clearly the disposition of the preachers to hold to 
the Church of England, which was established by law in the States named. 



Ie58 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



no more, except as stated in rale fourth. 6. All assistant 
preachers were to send an account of their work to the 
general assistant once in six months. 

878. Eobert Strawbridge was not at this Conference — give some 
statement of his labors. 

He was a man of unbounded labor and self-sacrifice — 
perhaps to a fault — seeming to neglect his family ; but he 
was excused from guilt on account of his faith in a Divine 
Providence. He planted Methodism in Baltimore, and 
several other parts of Maryland ; and though it does not 
appear that he was an itinerant, yet he did an extensive 
itinerant work. 

Note. — Mr. Stevens aocases Strawbridge of being intractable to authority 
on account of the Irish blood in him, and relates the fact that he would admin- 
ister the sacraments contrary to Wesley's advice. By reference to the statis- 
tics (875) it will be seen tliat nearly half the members were reported from the 
fields where he had labored. The conduct of the clergy of the Church " was 
repulsive to the people, who were unwilling to receive the sacraments from 
hem. 



The Church: What it ?'x and Whence it in. 159 



Chapter XLII. 

From the First American Conference to the Fluvanna 
Conference (1779), including an Allusion to the First 
Quarterly Conference. 

879. When was the first Quarterly Conference held? 
In December — Christmas week — 1772."^ 

880. Who held this quarterly-meeting? 

Asbury, who had been sent to this country by Mr. Wes- 
ley as a superintendent of the work here. 

881. What was the principal work of this Quarterly Confer- 
ence? 

1. The report of the collections.! 2. The stationing of 
preachers (only six were stationed then). 3. An agree, 
ment to strictly exclude strangers. 4. A discussion as to 
whether they abandon the day appointments during the 
week. 5. The discussion as to the preachers administer- 
ing the sacraments. 6. As to making weekly collections 
to pay board and traveling expenses of the preachers. 
The fourth and sixth propositions were not agreed to. The 
fifth was, but Mr. Asbury would not recognize it. Several 

*It is certain that this was not the first Quarterly Conference held, as As- 
bury, in his account of it, mentions that there had been one "held here be- 
fore," at which "Mr. Boardman had given way to the people," etc. As the 
work of this Quarterly Conference was the same as the subsequeut Annual 
Conference, I think it likely that these Quarterlies had been regularly held 
before with all the jurisdiction of the Annuals, which came six months after 
this one. (Stevens, Vol. I., page l^S.) 

t Strawbridge had received nearly ^40 quarterage ; King and Asbury nearly 
S30each. Here again we see Strawbridge contending for the administration 
of the ordinances by the preachers ; and in his quarterage we see the indorse- 
ment of the people. He received twenty-five per cent, more than any one 
else. The people were sick of " the Church." 



160 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



local preachers were present at the Conference, besides lay- 
men. 

882. When was the second Annual Conference held? 
In May, 1774, at Philadelphia. 

883. What had been the result of the year's work? 

In ten months about one thousand members had been 
added to the societies. 

884. What were the statistics of this session T 

Members, 2,073. Twelve new preachers were received — 
five into full connection, and seven on trial. Four new cir- 
cuits had been formed. 

885. What new rule was adopted at this Conference? 

That all the preachers should change at the end of six 
months. 

886. What Churches were laboring here at this time, either as 
organized bodies or as individual adherents? 

The Church of England, Lutherans, German Keformed, 
Mennonites, Moravians, and Methodists. 

887. Were the Annual Conferences held regularly during these 
early times? 

They were sometimes held twice a year. In 1784 three 
sessions of the Conference were held. From 1774 to 1784 
seventeen sessions were held. 

888. How were these Conferences regarded prior to 1784 ? 
They were regarded as adjourned meetings of the entire 

ministerial force of the societies. 

889. When was the third session held? 

In 1775, at Philadelphia, beginning May 17. 

890. What conclusion was reached on the question of war, which 
had already begun to manifest unmistakable signs of bloodshed ? 

That the mission of the ministry was one of peace, and 
while they, as preachers, would take no part in the strug- 
gle, they would trust to God for the results. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



161 



891. What were the results of this year of toil among the socie- 
ties? 

An increase of about thirty-three and one-third per cent. 
More than one thousand were added to their numbers. 

892. What was the increase in ministerial force during the year? 
Twenty-two; three on trial, and nineteen enrolled for ap- 
pointments. 

893. What did this Conference determine on with regard to the 
troubled condition of this country ? 

At this session, and also at other following sessions, they 
resolved to hold a general fast "in behalf of the Church 
and the peace of America." 

894. Give a sketch of the fourth session of the Conference. 

The fourth session of the Conference was held in Balti- 
more, May 21, 1776. The increase this year was 1,773 — or 
about forty-five per cent, of the membership — and five 
preachers. The societies had lost members in New York, 
New Jersey, and Philadelphia. 

895. What of the fifth session of the Conference? 

It was held in May, 1777, in Hartford county, Mary- 
land. The increase in membership was even more grati- 
fying than that of the previous year, both in the laity and 
in the ministry. There were now 36 preachers and 6,968 
members. 

896. When and where was the sixth Conference held? 
At Leesburg, Virginia, May 19, 1778. 

897. W^hat were some of the results of the war upon the socie- 
ties ? 

The English preachers felt that they were mere visitors 
here, and as a formal understanding had been reached at 
the preceding session to the effect that all the society mem- 
bers were members of the Church of England, the English 
preachers returned to Europe, thereby greatly reducing the 
ministerial force. New York, Philadelphia, and perhaps 



162 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



other points, were under British garrisons, and Asbury was 
under military arrest. Only 6,095 members were reported. 

898. What of the Conference of 1779? 

Two Conferences were held this year: one in Kent 
county, Delaware, in April; and one at Fluvanna, Vir- 
ginia, in May. ■ 

899. What change took place at the Kent county Conference? 
The term of ministerial probation was extended from 

one to two years, as it still exists. 

900. What conclusion was reached at this Conference in regard 
to separating from the Church of England ? 

That they would guard against such separation, whether 
direct or indirect." 

901. What statistics were given at the Fluvanna Conference? 
The increase for this year w^as very fine. There were 44 

preachers and 8,577 members, being an increase of 2,482 
members. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



1B8 



Chapter XLIII. 

From the Fluvanna Conference (1779) to the Baltimore 
Conference (1784). 

902. The assistant, Riiskin, having returned to England, and 
Mf. Asbury being a prisoner, what did this Conference decide con- 
cerning the ordinances? 

That our members were almost everywhere without the 
ordinances ; that Gatch, Foster, Cole, and Ellis be appoint- 
ed or constituted "a presbytery'' to administer the ordi- 
nances themselves, and ''by the form of laying on of 
hands" to authorize other preachers to administer the 
same. 

903. What was the conclusion as to whom the ordinances should 
be administered ? 

"To all who are under our care and discipline." 

904. What other conclusions were reached? 

That none should be rebaptized ; that baptism should be 
" either sprinkling or plunging, as the parents or adults 
may choose ; " that the ceremony should be extempore, and 
according to Matthew xxviii. 19. The mode of partaking 
of the Lord's Supper should be according to the conscience 
of the communicant — " kneeling or standing." The cere- 
mony to be used by the preacher was to be singing, prayer, 
and exhortation, and hand the bread and wine to the com- 
municant with the words now used after the Church 
order"). 

905. Which of these Conferences was the regular session? 
All agree that the Fluvanna Conference was the regu- 
lar Conference, held according to appointment." The 



164 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



Kent Conference was held for the convenience of Asbury 
and a few Northern preachers.* 

906. What was the result of the action of the Fluvanna Con- 
ference ? 

The result was a division between the Northern and 
Southern preachers. 

907. Where and when did the Fluvanna Conference next meet? 
At Manikintown, Virginia, May 8, 1780. 

908. What became of the Kent Conference? 

It reassembled in Baltimore, April 24, 1780. 

909. What did the. Baltimore Conference do? 

Sent delegates to the Manikintow^n Conference to request 
it to return, for one year, to the former usages of the socie- 
ties, and meanwhile consult Mr. Wesley, and in May, 1781, 
meet in a Union Conference in Baltimore, and abide by 
the decision of Mr. Wesley. 

910. Did the Manikintown Conference agree to this proposition? 
They did, unanimously; and thus quieted what might 

otherwise have been a source of discord, if not ruin, to the 
societies. 

911. What were some of the actions and conclusions of the Bal- 
timore Conference ? 

Preachers were required to change circuits twice a year; 
to rise at four or five o'clock in the morning, and to have 
written license, signed by Asbury, certifying their connec- 
tion with the Conference. The Conference also determined 
to continue its connection with " the Church." 

912 What rule was adopted concerning the manufacture of 
liquor? 

The practice of distilling grain into liquor was to be dis- 

*The Kent Conference met at a private house where Asbury was con- 
fined, and some of the preachers farther South were not notified that a Con- 
ference would be held there. Besides, Fluvanna was, it seems, the place 
agreed upon at the next preceding session, and no formal change of place 
was agreed upon. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



165 



approved, and those who would not renounce it were to be 
"disowned." 

913. What doctrine was there pronounced on the subject of slav- 
ery? 

Preachers owning slaves were required to give promise 
of liberating them. Slavery was denounced as contrary to 
the " laws of God, man, and nature." 

914. What of the Manikintown Conference? 

Asbury, Watters, and Garrettson attended the session, 
and found every thing in a state of confusion. The people 
w^ere without the ordinances; and Asbury, led by his de- 
votion to the Church of England, declined to provide a 
method for the people to receive them or even supply the 
circuits in that part of the connection. 

915. What, for a time, seemed inevitable? 

A division in the societies. How it was averted and an 
agreement reached the historians tell us. It was by another 
surrender of opinion by the majority of the preachers rep- 
resenting the Southern societies. This is stated, in sub- 
stance, by Mr. Asbury."^ 

916. Of the Conference of 1781. When was it held, and what 
the outlook ? 

At Baltimore, April 24. The breach was fairly healed, 
and thirty-nine of the preachers reaffirmed their allegiance 
to "the Church." 

917. What were the statistics reported at this session? 
Members, 10,539, being an increase of 2,035 ; preachers, 

55, being a gain of 12. 

918. What did thirty-nine preachers at that Conference recog- 
nize as standards of doctrine and discipline? 

" The notes, sermons, and minutes published by Mr. Wes- 
ley." 

919. Tell something about the Conference of 1782. 

This was the tenth regular session of the Conference. It 



*Ste\rens's History, Vol. II., page 90. 



166 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



met first in Sussex county, Virginia, April 17, and ad- 
journed to Baltimore, Maryland, Muy 21."^ 

920. What did these sessions accomplish ? 

Nothing out of the usual routine business, except per- 
haps the suspension of the publishing business, which the 
want of funds demanded. 

921. What were the statistics published for 1782? 

There was a gain of 1,246 members and 5 preachers. 
Total membership, 11,785; total preachers, 60. This Con- 
ference instituted the system of Church letters now in use 
when a member removes from one charge to another. 

922. Tell us about the eleventh regular Conference, held in 1783. 
It was held at the same places as in the preceding year : 

in Virginia, at Ellis's Chapel, May 7, and at Baltimore, 
May 27. 

923. What were the statistics reported? 

Increase of members 1,955; increase in preachers, 22. 
Members, 13,740; preachers, 82. 

924. What was the sense of the Virginia session on the liquor 
question ? 

It declared against the manufacture of liquor, as it had 
done in 1780, and added its decided opposition to the sale or 
the use of it " as drams," and required the preachers to w^arn 
the people to leave the evil alone. 

925. How many Conferences were held in 1784? 

Three. One in Virginia, April 30; one at Baltimaore, 
May 25; and another at Baltimore, December 24. 

■926. What were the statistics reported at the spring sessions? 

There was an increase of 1,248 members; total, 14,988. 
Although a large number of preachers had been taken on 
trial a year before, there w^as an increase of only 2 ; total, 
84. 

* Dr. Stevens (Vol. II., page 102) speaks of these sessions as two Confer- 
ences; but the very facts he details prove them one. 



The Church : What it u and Whence it is. 



167 



927. What new regulations did the Baltimore Conference adopt? 
It fixed the salary of the geueral assistant, Mr. Asbury, 

at $60 and traveling expenses. It introduced into the 
minutes the question, "Who have died this year?'' It also 
ordered that " the first Friday after eve*ry quarterly-meet- 
ing be observed as a day of fasting and prayer." 

928. What was the difference between tlie Christmas Conference 
and those held in the spring? 

It was composed of the same men, but had for its object 
a different thing. 

929. What was the object of this Conference? 

To fully organize the Methodist societies into an inde- 
pendent ecclesiastical body. 

930. What preparations had Wesley made for this organiza- 
tion ? 

According to the customs of the Church of England, he 
had ordained Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey elders, 
and Dr. Coke, a presbyter of the Church of England, 
bishop (or " general superintendent of the Methodist 
Church in America. 

931. When did this Conference meet, who presided, and how 
many preachers were present? 

Conference met on Friday, December 24, 1784, and ^Yas 
presided over by Dr. Coke. Sixty preachers were present. 

932. What were among the first and most important acts of the 
Conference ? 

To elect Francis Asbury to deacon's and elder's orders, 
and have Coke and his elders, Whatcoat and Vasey, or- 
dain deacon, elder, and bishop. On Sunday of the Con- 
ference, January 1, 1785, twelve elders and one deacon 
were ordained. 



168 



The Church: What it is and Wheyice it is. 



Chapter XLIV. 

The Organization of the "Methodist Episcopal Church." 



933. What preachers were present at this Conference — Decem- 
ber 24, 1784? 

The names of many of them have been lost; but Dr. 
Stevens says it is certain that the following were present, 
viz.: Thomas Coke, LL.D., Asbury, Whatcoat, Vasey, 
Garrettson, Gill, Ellis, Cole, Ivey, O'Kelly, Haggerty, 
Reed, Cromwell, Lambert, Dickens, Glendenering, Poy- 
thress, Everett, Black, Phoebus, and Ware. It is probable 
that Dromgoole, Pedicord, Chew, Joseph Cromwell, Major, 
Cox, Rowe, Partridge, Foster, Mair, Dudley, Cloud, Mitch- 
ell Ellis, White, Forrest, Wyatt, Bruce, Magary, Thomas, 
Baldwin, Hickson, Haskins, Ira Ellis, Easter, Mariarty, 
Matson, Green, Curtis, Jessup, Lee, Jackson, Riggin, Ring- 
gold, Smith, Greentree, Lynch, Bowen, Park, Cannon, and 
Swift, were also present. (Stevens's History, Vol. II., pages 
186-7.) The names of about twenty members of that Con- 
ference must have been lost, as there were about sixty present. 

934. What form of government did the societies give the Church 
at its organization ? 

Believing the episcopal form the more scriptural, they 
adopted that form of government. 

935. Who were the first bishops? 

Thomas Coke, LL.D., who was consecrated in England 
according to the forms of the Church of England, and 
Rev. Francis Asbury, who was consecrated in Baltimore, 
on Monday, January 4, 1785, according to the same forms 
and ceremonies. 



Tlie Clmrch: What it is and Whence it is. 169 



936. What had been the human guide, as to the divine require- 
ments in doctrine and polity, among the societies previous to this 
Conference ? 

The Minutes of the Conferences, Wesley's Notes on the 
New Testament, and his sermons. 

937. What was henceforth to be the guide? 

The rules and regulations contained in the minutes were 
so far changed as to conform to the Constitution and laws 
of the United States, and the wants of the Church in this 
country, and adopted by this Conference as a book of Dis- 
cipline. 

938. What did the Discipline contain? 

It contained the General Rules (just as we have them to- 
day), and the Twenty-five Articles of Faith (just as they 
appear in the Discipline now). It contained also forms of 
worship, of prayer, for the ordination of Bishops, elders, 
and deacons ; also a collection of Psalms and hymns. 

939. Did any of these Twenty-five Articles contain any new 
doctrines ? 

No. They were drawn from the doctrines, or Articles of 
Faith, of the Church of England, and their existence can 
be traced, in substance, to the times of Abel and Enoch. 

940. Why did the Conference, or Mr. Wesley who proposed the 
Articles of Faith, not include the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church 
of England? 

For the reason that some of them related to civil rulers, 
and were not adapted to our civil institutions, while others 
of them were more directly from Mr. John Calvin than 
from God. These were all dropped from the number. 

941. What pledge did this Conference make to Mr. Wesley? 
That during the life of Mr. Wesley"^ they would acknowl- 



12 



* Italics are our own. 



170 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



edge themselves as his sons in the gospel, and would be 
ready in matters of Church government"^ to obey his com- 
mands ; that after Mr. Wesley's death they would do every 
thing they judged consistent with the cause of religion and 
the welfare of the Government of the United States, and 
would try to promote and preserve union with the Method- 
ists of Europe. 

942. What legislation did this Conference adopt touching the 
salaries of preachers ? 

The allowance of a preacher was fixed at one hundred 
and twenty-eight dollars per annum for a man and wife, 
and for children under six years, sixteen dollars each; to 
children from six to eleven, twenty-two dollars. 

943. To how much did the allowance of a single man amount 
for himself and the service of his horse? 

His pay for self and horse was a little less than eighteen 
cents per day. 

944. What did this Conference do for the protection of the worn- 
out preachers and the widows and orphans of deceased preachers? 

It provided for a preachers' fund, which corresponds to 
our present Conference collection ; but the funds were 
raised in a different way. 

945. To what source may we trace the doctrines of the Meth- 
odist Church as recognized by this Christmas Conference? 

Through the Roman and Anglican Churches to the apos- 
tles and prophets. 

946. Why were these doctrines not all drawn up from the same 
Church creed? 

Because both the Eastern and Western Churches had 
lost much of the truth, while each had in part retained the 
true doctrine. The object was to get God's word without 
regard to who kept it. 



* Italics are our own. 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



171 



947. What were the great central doctrines adopted hy this Con- 
ference? 

Universal redemption, assurance, and Christian perfec- 
tion. 

948. What is the difference between the General Rules and the 
Articles of Religion? 

The General Rules tell, in general terms, what to do and 
what to leave undone; while the Articles of Faith tell us 
what to believe and what 7iot to believe. 

949. Where are the conditions of membership expressed, and 
what are they ? 

The terms of membership are expressed in the General 
Rules, in these words: "A desire to flee from the wrath to 
come, and to be saved from their sins." 

950. Did this Christmas Conference take from the Annual Con- 
ferences their legislative power? 

It did not. For a long time new measures were submit- 
ted to the Yearly Conferences by the bishops, and a major- 
ity of all of the Conferences was necessary to decide the 
measure. 

951. When the organization of the Church was completed by 
this Conference, what did it do? 

They adjourned to their various fields of toil to continue 
their work for the Master, while Dr. Coke — or Bishop Coke, 
for such he was, though he preferred that the people in 
speaking of him would leave out that title — returned to 
England to report to Mr. Wesley. 

952. Repeat the process by which the Methodist Church was 
organized. 

John Wesley, A.M., Thomas Coke, LL.D., and Rev. Jas. 
Creighton — each of whom was a presbyter, or an elder, in 
the Church of England — ordained Richard Whatcoat and 
Thomas Vasey presbyters ; after which these presbyters 
ordained Dr. Coke bishop. Dr. Coke, Mr. Whatcoat, and 
Mr. Vasey came to America, called the preachers together, 



172 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



ordained as many elders and deacons as the necessities of 
the case required; adopted doctrines, rules, and regula- 
tions; elected such officers as were necessary, and adopted 
the name Methodist Episcopal Church in America." 

Note.— The reader must not suppose that the few facts above recited com- 
prise any considerable proportion of the work of this Christmas Conference. 
On the contrary, it is the briefest outline we can give to convey any idea of 
what was done. For full information of all the work of this Conference, we 
refer you to " History of the Methodist Episcopal Church," by Dr. Stevens, 
to " Bangs's History" of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and other sources. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 173 



Chapter XLV. 

From 1784 to 1844 — Of the Success of the Church and the 
Causes of Disruption. , 



953. When was the next Conference held which was of the nat- 
ure of a General Conference ? 

Eight years after the organization of the Church, in 
1792 — of the proceedings of which no records were left. 

954. How have these sessions been held since 1792 ? 

They have met as a " General Conference " regularly 
every four years since 1792. 

955. When were these General Conferences constituted delegated 
bodies ? 

At the session of 1808 a motion was adopted for the bet- 
ter organization of the General Conference. 

956. When and where did the first delegated General Conference, 
meet? 

In the city of New York, in the first church built there 
by the Methodists, May 1, 1812. 

957. What Conferences were represented in that body? 

The New York Conference, the New England, the Gen- 
esee, the West,* the South Carolina, the Virginia, the Balti- 
more, and the Philadelphia Conferences were represented 
by ninety delegates. 

958. What schism sprung up in that Conference (and indeed in 
all the General Conferences since 1792) which resulted in a large 
secession from the Methodist Episcopal Church? 

The O'Kelly schism (1792), about the power of bishops; 
and the schism of Shinn, Snethen, and others, in regard to 
the election of presiding elders. 

By " West " is meant Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky. 



174 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



959. Counting the Christmas Conference as the first General 
Conference, when was the third General Conference held ? 

At Baltimore, May 6, 1800. 

960. Who was elected bishop to supply the shortage in episco- 
pal work? 

Richard Whatcoat, who was the third bishop of the 
Church — Coke being first, and Asbury second. 

961. For what was this third General Conference most remark- 
able? 

For the great revival during its sitting. 

962. When and where was the fourth General Conference held? 
At Baltimore, May 7, 1804. 

963. What new rules were adopted by this Conference? 
That the bishop should allow each Annual Conference 

to sit a week at least, if necessary; that no preacher 
should be appointed to the same work more than two con- 
secutive years; that the preachers before publishing arti- 
cles written for the press should submit them to their 
Conference, or to the Book Committee at New York, for 
approval. 

964. What was the numerical strength of the Methodist Epis- 
copal Church at this date — 1804? 

Members, 115,411 ; preachers, 400.* 

965. When and where was the fifth General Conference held? 
At Baltimore, May 6, 1808. 

966. What were some of the acts passed by this Conference ? 
It fixed the basis of representation for one delegate to 

every five members of the Annual Conferences, established 
what are known as the Restrictive Rules (at least in the main), 
and provided for the General Conference to assume the leg- 
islation for the entire Church. 

* When it is remembered that the years of this success were years of war 
and pestilence, the hand of God will be more clearly seen in it. The Revo- 
lutionary War, and yellow fever at Portsmouth, New York, and Philadelphia 
in 1793 and 1798, were very hurtful to Methodism. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



175 



967. Was the General Conference of 1808 a delegated Confer- 
ence ? 

It was not; but seeing the necessity for a more just and 
judicious organization than the former system promised, 
they provided that the next session should be composed of 
representatives — as one to five — from each Annual Confer- 
ence. 

968. How many General Conferences had been held before the 
first delegated General Conference ? 

Six, viz.: 1784, 1792, 1796, 1800, 1804, and 1808. The 
first delegated General Conference was the seventh General 
Conference held. All the other General Conferences had 
been held in Baltimore, but this one was held in New 
York, May 1, 1812. 

969. When was William McKendree elected to the episcopacy? 
May 12, 1808; consecrated May 17 of the same year. 

970. When and where was the eighth General Conference held, 
and what were some of the doings of this Conference? 

It was held at Baltimore, Md., May 1, 1816. Enoch 
George and Robert R. Roberts were elected bishops. A 
book depository was authorized at Pittsburg, and the Mis- 
souri and Mississippi Conferences were set off. 

971. We have now passed over eighty-nine years of the embry- 
onic and organic life of Methodism. What secession from this 
Church took place during this period? 

The first was under the leadership of William Hammet, 
in Charleston, S. C, 1785. These called themselves Prim- 
itive Methodists. The other, under the leadership of 
O'Kelly, of Virginia, we have already mentioned. Both 
of these factions soon disappeared. The O'Kelly party 
called themselves Republican Methodists. This secession 
took place in 1792. About this time a sentiment sprung up, 
mainly in Philadelphia, which resulted, in 1816, in the 
secession of about one thousand colored members, under 
the leadership of William Allen, and the organization of 



176 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



the ''African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church," which 
still exists. Near this time another difference occurred, 
which resulted in the organization of the "African Meth- 
dist Episcopal Church " in 1819. 

972. How many General Conferences were held prior to 1844? 
There were fourteen General Conferences held, including 

the Conference of 1844. 

973. When was the slavery question first agitated in the General 
Conference ? • 

At the first session in 1784, and in almost every succeed- 
ing session up to and at the session of 1844. 

974. What rule was adopted at the third session — 1800? 

" That if any of our traveling preachers marry persons 
holding slaves, and thereby become slave-holders, they shall 
be excluded our societies, unless they execute a legal eman- 
cipation of their slaves agreeably to the laws of the State 
wherein they live." (Stevens's History, Vol. IV., page 175.) 

975. What rale was passed in 1804? 

That any preacher who, by any means, became the owner 
of slaves should be expelled from the Conference unless he 
would execute their emancipation according to the laws of 
the State wherein he lived.* 

976. What action was taken on the subject of slavery at the Con- 
ference of 1808 ? 

A resolution was passed authorizing the Annual Confer- 
ences to form their own regulations relative to buying and 
selling slaves. 

977. What action was taken at the session of 1816 on this ques- 
tion? 

It was resolved that no slave-holder shall be eligible to 
any official station in our Church hereafter where the laws 
of the State in which he lives will admit of emancipation, 
and permit the liberated slave to enjoy freedom.'^f 



Stevens's History, Vol. IV., page 183. 



t Ibid, page 444. 



t'he Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



177 



978. Was there no resistance to those extreme measures on this 
subject? 

Yes; as early as 1808 McClosky, a leading man from 
Philadelphia, was beaten in an effort to " strike out the 
whole sentence relating to slavery." 

979. What was the line of policy pursued by the General Con- 
ferences in all their sessions prior to 1844? 

It was radically aggressive toward the slave-holding 
States. 

980. Could they not see that the institution of slavery was of a 
civil nature, and in many of the States slaves could not be emanci- 
pated ? 

They could and did so see it. At the session of 1816 the 
subject was referred to a committee, who reported that they 
were " constrained to admit that to bring about such a 
change in the civil code as would favor the cause of lib- 
erty is not in the power of the General Conference." (Ste- 
vens's History, Vol. IV., page 454.~) 

981. Why, then, should they persist in Conference legislation on 
the subject? 

The only answer we can give is that there was a de- 
gree of enthusiasm — if not fanaticism — on that subject far 
greater than any other which came before the Confer- 
ence. At the session in 1812 James Axley undertook to 
commit the General Conference against the use of liquor, 
and wheh his motion was ordered ''tabled" he renewed it 
to the third time, when he was defeated. Again in 1816 
he renewed the fight for temperance. Dr. Stevens (Vol. IV., 
page 370) says : " Many in the Conference opposed him, mak- 
ing merry of his quaint speeches. 'He turned his face to 
the wall and wept,' says Laban Clark, who joined him in 
the measure." 

982. Did this Conference of 1816 pass any resolutions on the 
subject of slavery? 

It did, as already quoted (977). The resolution under 



178 The Church : What it ts and Whence it is. 



which the General Conference of 1844 proposed to depose 
Bishop Andrew. 

983. Notwithstanding the agitations of the times — seven years o 
war, two of pestilence, and sixty years of agitations on this subject — 
what were the statistics reported in 1843? 

Annual Conferences, 32; bishops, 6; members — travel" 
ing preachers, 2,988; local preachers, 7,730; communi- 
cants, 1,068,525; total members, 1,080,243. (See "Relig- 
ion in America," Baird, page 496.) 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



179 



Chapter XL VI. 

Of the Schisms from 1819 to 1843. 



984. What secession took place in 1820 ? 

That which resulted in the formation of the "Protestant 
Methodist Church." 

985. What led to the separation of these people from the mother 
Church? 

There were a diversity of causes, but chiefly the fact 
that the General Conference would not abridge the author- 
ity of the bishops nor admit lay representatives in the 
Conferences. 

986. Did they change their doctrine? 

No. It was the same as of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, from which they sprung, but they have abolished 
the office of bishop, as well as that of presiding elder, 
thereby completely abandoning the episcopal form of gov- 
ernment. 

987. What has been the measure of their success? 

They lived but a little while before they were all ab- 
sorbed by the mother Church — i. e., returned to the Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church. 

988. What separation took place in 1816? 

A large number of colored members withdrew, and or- 
ganized the "African Methodist Episcopal Church." 

989. What separation took place in 1820? 

A similar withdrawal of colored members, and their or- 
ganization into the "African Methodist Episcopal Zion 
Church." 



180 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



990. When did the Canadian brethren draw off and establish a 
separate Church? 

In 1828. 

991. Was this a mutual separation, or, as in the other instances, 
a secession? 

It was a mutual separation, which both sides recognized 
as a sort of necessity. 

992. When was the "Methodist Protestant Church" organized? 
In 1830. 

993. Is this Church to be identified with the one of the same 
name which was organized in 1820? 

By no means. The Methodist Protestant Church, or, 
as it is generally called, the Protestant Methodist Church, 
was organized for the same reasons as the former, but on a 
more solid basis. 

994. What was the strength of this Church in its outset? 
It had about 80 preachers and 5,000 members. 

995. What has been the success of this people? 

They were divided in 1858, but at the time of their di- 
vision they numbered 2,000 preachers and 90,000 members. 

996. Mention the other members of the great Methodist family 
which have been born in Europe and America since 1843. 

In Europe there are the Methodist New Connection," 
the "Primitive Methodists," the ''Independent Method- 
ists," the ''Bible Christians," the "United Free Church 
Methodists," and the " Calvinistic Methodists." In Amer- 
ica the " Methodist Free Church" was organized at Pekin, 
New York, in 1860. 



The CImrch : What it is and Whence it is. 



181 



Chapter XL VII. 

Of the Organization of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South.'^ 



997. What important period in the history of the Church do 
we now approach ? 

The organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South." 

998. Where and when was this Church organized? 
May 15, 1845, in the city of Louisville, Kentucky. 

999. What circumstance led to the necessity for such action? 
The development of the enthusiasm which we have seen 

all along on the subject of slavery. 

1000. How did the question get before the General Conference 
in such shape as to necessitate this action ? 

On a motion to depose Bishop James O. Andrew from 
the episcopacy. 

1001. Upon what ground did the mover desire the deposition of 
Bishop Andrew ? 

On the ground that Bishop Andrew had, by marriage, 
become connected with slavery. 

1002. What did the law of 1816 recite? 

That any preacher who should by any means become the 
owner of slaves, should be expelled from the Conference, 
unless he would emancipate those slaves according to the 
laws of the State in which he lived. 

1003. In what State did Bishop Andrew live? 
In the State of Georgia. 

1004. Was emancipation practicable " according to the laws of 
the State" of Georgia? 

It was not. 



« 



182 The Church: What it is and Whence it is» 

1005. What were the only alternatives left Bishop Andrew? 
Either to violate the laws of his State or to disregard the 

fanatical sentiments of some of his brethren. 

1006. Was the motion expressive of the "sense of the Confer- 
ence, that he desist from the exercise of this office so long as this im- 
pediment remains/' advisory merely, or was it mandatory in its 
purpose ? 

It was mandatory, as is shown by the fact that a resolu- 
tion explaining it as merely advisory was laid on the table 
by a vote of 75 to 68. 

1007. At what General Conference did these things take place ? 
At the session held in New York City, May, 1844. 

1008. Did the law of the Church prohibit the owning of slaves 
in States where emancipation was impracticable? 

No. The owner was required to " execute, if practicable 
a legal emancipation of such slaves conformably to the 
laws of the State in which he lives." 

1009. Was there, then, any just ground for this opposition to 
Bishop Andrew ? 

None whatever. The arguments in the General Confer- 
ence were much more on the inexpediency than the ille- 
gality of the ownership of the slaves. It was thought 
that this ownership of slaves would impair his usefulness 
in non-slave-holding States. 

1010. After several weeks of discussion, and after numerous ef- 
forts at pacification had failed, what conclusions were reached ? 

That the difficulties were irreconcilable, and that a com- 
mittee should be appointed to devise a plan for the mu- 
tual and friendly division of the Church." 

1011. What was the result of this reference to a committee? 

In a few days the committee reported back in favor of a 
division of the Church into two separate ecclesiastical or- 
ganizations. 

1012. What is the report of that committee called? 
It is called the " Plan of Separation." 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



183 



1013. What were its provisions? 

The first resolution sets forth the fact that " societies, 
stations, and Conferences in the South might go with the 
South by a majority vote," and should remain under the 
unmolested pastoral care of the Southern Church ; and the 
ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church shall in no- 
wise attempt to organize churcKes or societies within the 
limits of the Church South, nor shall they attempt to ex- 
ercise any pastoral oversight therein." 

1014. Have the ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church'' 
kept this rule in good faith ? 

They have not ; but in many places, especially during the 
late war (1861-1865), took charge of Southern churches, 
the property of the " Methodist Episcopal Church, South;" 
and at this time they have Conferences in nearly all the 
Southern States. 

The second resolution gave the privilege to every preacher 
of the M. E. Church, of every grade and office, to go if he 
should so desire — without blame — with the Church, South. 
The third to the twelfth resolutions provide for a change 
of the restrictive rule (Rule 6) and the equitable division 
of the property of the M. E. Church in churches, funds, 
and property of all kinds, on the basis of the proportion 
of ministers who might adhere to the Southern Church. 

1015. What did the General Conference do with this "plan of 
separation?" 

They adopted it June 8, 1844 — yeas 153, nays 13. 

1016. When did that General Conference adjourn? 

On the 10th of June, two days after the " plan of sepa- 
ration " was adopted. 

1017. How many Southern preachers were in that General Con- 
ference, and how many Conferences did they represent ? 

There were 51 delegates, representing 13 Conferences. 



184 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



1018. After adjournment of the General Conference, what did 
these 51 delegates do ? 

They held a meeting, and after consultation decided to 
call a convention to meet at Louisville, Kentucky, in May, 
1845, and also to issue an address to the " ministers and 
members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the slave- 
holding States." 



The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



185 



Chapter XL VIII. 

Of the Organization of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South (Continued). 



1019. How was the Louisville Convention organized? 
Bishops Soule and Andrew were the chairmen, and T. 

O. Summers, of Alabama, and T. N. Ralston, of Ken- 
tucky, were the secretaries. 

1020. On what basis did the convention organize the M. E. 
Church, South ? 

On the basis of the plan of separation agreed upon at 
the New York Conference. 

lOSl. Did Bishops Soule and Andrew at once unite with the 
Southern Methodist Church, as Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, S 

Bishop Andrew^ did, as no work had been allotted him 
in the Conferences of the M. E. Church ; but Bishop Soule, 
having been assigned to episcopal duties in the Conferences 
of that Church, preferred to discharge those duties, and de- 
ferred the matter till the meeting of the General Confer- 
ence of the M. E. Church, South, in May, 1846. 

1023. What was done with reference to the provisions of the 
''plan of separation" in regard to the division of funds alluded to 
in it ? 

Suitable agents and committees were appointed to act for 
the ^'M. E. Church, South." 

1023. What number of preachers and members went with the 
M. E. Church, South? 

Traveling preachers, 1,350; local preachers, 3,160; mem- 
bers, 495,000; bishop, 1. Total, 499,411. 
13 



186 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



1024. What amount of funds was paid to the M. E. Church, 
South, by the M. E. Church, as per agreement in the ^' plan of sepa- 
ration?" 

$414,141.62. 

1025. Was this amount promptly paid by the M, E. Church, as 
agreed ? 

It was not. The General CoDference of the M. E. Church 
in 1848 annulled the action of the General Conference of 
1844, and forced the M. E. Church, South, to resort to the 
civil courts for her equitable rights, to which the General 
Conference of 1844 had agreed. 

1026. When was Joshua Soule ordained to the office of bishop ? 
While stationed in Baltimore, 1824. 

1027. When was James O. Andrew ordained? 
While stationed in Augusta, Georgia, 1832. 

1028. When were William Capers and Kobert Paine ordained to 
the office of bishop ? 

In 1846, at the first General Conference of the M. E. 
Church, South, while the former was stationed at Colum- 
bia, South Carolina, and the latter was President of Wes- 
leyan University, Alabama. 

1029. What was the number of schools and colleges which fell 
under the jurisdiction of the M. E. Church, South, after its estab- 
lishment ? 

Eight, viz. : Randolph-Macon College, established in 18e30, 
Ashland, Virginia; Wesleyan University, Florence. Ala- 
bama; Emory College, 1837, Oxford, Georgia; St. Charles 
College, 3837, St. Charles, Missouri; Emory and Henry, 
1838, Virgimia; Wesleyan Female College, 1839, Macon, 
Georgia; Greensboro Female College, 1839, Greensboro, 
South Carolina; Athens Female College, 1842, Athens, 
Alabama. Of these, one (St. Charles) was for both sexes ; 
four (Wesleyan, Greensboro, Wesleyan University, and 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



187 



Athens) were for females, and three (Emory, Emory and 
Henry, and Randolph-Macon) were for males * 

1030. What number of institutions of learning of high grade 
are now under the control of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South— 1884 ? 

Sixty-eight ; of which fifteen are for males, nine for both 
sexes, and forty-four for females. 

1031. When was the first General Conference of the M. E. 
Church, South, held? 

In 1846, at Petersburg, Virginia. 

1032. What were some of the doings of this Conference? 

The election of Capers and Paine to the episcopacy ; prei >- 
aration to send Dr. Charles Taylor as a missionary to 
China; the appointment of fraternal delegates to the Gen- 
eral Conference of the M. E. Church; and the establish- 
ment of a book agency. 

1033. What was the ratio of representation in this first General 
Conference ? 

One to every fourteen members of an Annual Confer- 
ence. 

1034. Where and when were the successive General Conferences 
held? 

St. Louis, Missouri, May, 1850, was the second; Colum- 
bus, Georgia, May, 1854, third; ^Tashville, Tennessee, 
May, 1858, fourth; New Orleans, Louisiana, 1862, did 
not meet, as that city was, at the time appointed, within 
the Federal lines, and out of reach of our people. New 
Orleans was, however, the place of the meeting of the 
fifth session of the General Conference in April and May, 
1866 ; Memphis, Tennessee, May, 1870, sixth session ; Lou- 
isville, Kentucky, May, 1874, seventh session; Atlanta, 
Georgia, May, 1878, eighth session; Nashville, Tennessee, 
May, 1882, ninth session. 



*Dr. Peterson (Hand-book, page 96) counts 13 institutions of learning 
under our control in 1845, but I cannot verify his calculations. I give the num- 
ber and dates as I have been able to find them. 



188 The Church : What it is and Whence it is. 



1035. Who have been elected bishops at these several sessions? 
Besides those already mentioued, H. B. Baseom, 1850, 

at St. Louis; G. F. Pierce, John Early, and H. H. Kava- 
naugh, 1854, at Columbus, Georgia; W. M. Wightman, E. 
M. Marvin, D. S. Doggett, and H. N. McTyeire, New Or- 
leans, 1866; J. C. Keener, Memphis, Tennessee, 1870; A. 
W. Wilson, A. G. Haygood,* L. Parker, J. C. Granbery, 
and E. K. Hargrove, Nashville, 1882. 

1036. Which of these heroes have gone to their reward? 
Joshua Soule, James O. Andrew, William Capers, Robert 

Paine, Henry B. Bascom, John Early, William M. Wight- 
man, Enoch M. Marvin, David S. Doggett, George F. 
Pierce, and Hubbard H. Kavanaugh. 

1037. What number of missionaries are now (1884) employed 
in foreign fields ? 

By the Parent Board, 22; by the Woman's Board, 16. 
Total, 38. 

1038. What amount of money was paid out in these foreign 
fields in 1883? 

$189,916.33. 

1039. Was all this money paid to these thirty-eight mission- 
aries? 

No. By far the greater portion of it was expended in 
building churches, and in building school-houses and main- 
taining schools, and in hospital and other charitable work, 
by which our people enter into the homes and hearts of 
the heathen. 

1040. Give a comparative statement which will show the prog- 
ress of our Church since 1845. 

In 1845 there were 2 bishops, now there are 8; 1,350 
traveling preachers, now there are 3,525 ; local preachers, 
3,160, now there are 5,869; members, 495,000, now there 



* Dr. Haygood declined ordination, choosing rather to take care of Emory 
College. 



The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



189 



are 867,385 * ; no foreign missionaries, now there are 38 ; 
paid for mission work, mostly among the negroes, $68,- 
529.24, now the amount paid for missionary work is (do- 
mestic and foreign) $262,853.91. Then there were 15 f 
Annual Conferences, now there are 38; then we had no 
Publishing House, now we have one, with assets valued at 
$309,574.61, reduced by $195,157.21 liabilities to $114,- 
417.40 net assets. 



*1884 will, I think, show over 900,000 members. 

t " Hand-book " says 16, but I do not seetthat more than 2 joined the origi- 
nal 13. 



190 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



CONCLUSION. 



We have very nearly completed our undertaking, and 
feel satisfied that, though our work is very far from perfec- 
tion, we have succeeded in giving you an outline of the his- 
tory, doctrine, polity, and usages of the Church in a much 
more condensed form than can be found anywhere else. 

1. We have shown what, through all the ages, has been 
necessary to constitute a Church. 

2. We have shown that a Church among men, as the 
gift and the means of applying the saving grace of God, is 
not a secondary but a primary thought in the divine mind. 

3. We have shown the doctrinal integrity of that Church 
under all "dispensations," and through all the ordeals of 
time. 

4. We have shown that no new "sacraments " have been 
projected into the Church at any age of it, and that the 
sacraments of the Church are the same now that they w^ere 
when we first find them in existence, although the manner 
of expressing them has been changed. 

5. We have shown that the idea that our Lord, or 
John the Baptist, or the apostles, or any other being, at 
or about the time of our Lord's coming upon the earth, 
formed, revealed, or in any primary sense instituted a 
Church, is contrary to all the facts in the case. 

6. We have shown the conformity of the Methodist 
Episcopal Church, South, to the Church in the days of the 
prophets and apostles in doctrine and polity. 

7. We have shown the origin of numerous sects through 
which certain Churches profess to have succeeded the apos- 



The CJmrch: What it is and Whence it is. 191 

ties, and have shown that all these sects, for the first fifteen 
hundred years of the Christian era, were not so near the apos- 
tolic doctrine and polity as those from whom they seceded. 

8. We have shown that the Church of God is a thing of 
principle, and not a thing of name and forms. 

9. We have shown that in life and heart there has been 
no unbroken succession from the apostles. The Church of 
Rome, in her officiary, in her doctrines, and in her usages, 
departed from the faith. The Donatists left her, not be- 
cause of her impurity, but because of her refusal to put the 
episcopal crown on the head of the man of their choice. 
The Anabaptists left her, not for the great principles of 
the apostolic doctrine, but from the impulse of fanaticism. 
In a word, we have shown that there never was, before the 
sixteenth century, a return to the apostolic purity in any 
degree commendable; nor even then, except in so far as a 
foundation was laid for a return at a later date. 

10. We have shown that the existence of the Church, 
like the existence of God, is all through the Bible an as- 
sumed and oft-asserted fact; but the time, place, and man- 
ner of its beginning are nowhere stated. 

11. We have traced the Church, through its doctrines 
and sacraments, from the beginning to Christ, from Christ 

' to Luther, from Luther to Wesley, and from Wesley to 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 

12. We have shown the unparalleled success of the Wes- 
ley an revival, or the wonderful enlargement of the Method- 
ists from the time they received the great Bible doctrines 
of justification by faith," of " assurance" and Christian 
perfection ; " that while it is only one hundred years old, 
or, dating from the start at Oxford, one hundred and fifty- 
five, yet it is the most numerous of all the evangelical 
Protestant Churches; and that too without the patronage 
of monarch or the glitter of gold. 



192 The Church: What it is and Whence it is. 



There was one Countess of Huntingdon and one Coke, 
but above this there was " one Lord, one faith, and one bap- 
tism." Through this faith in Christ, and by this baptism 
of the Holy Ghost, the grace of that "one Lord" wrought 
mighty things through the consecrated heroes of the eight- 
eenth century. This "cloud," not larger than "a man's 
hand," which we saw gathering over Oxford College, Lon- 
don, in A.D. 1729, like the cloud watched by Elijah's serv- 
ant, gathered vapor, increasing its surface till the whole 
heavens were covered ; and in A.D. 1784, and onward, has 
poured out "seasons of grace" that have bedewed the 
mountains, watered the valleys, and refreshed the world 
with its crystal drops. To change our figure, Methodism 
is the great centripetal force in religion. The "horrible 
decrees" of Calvinism, the "unconditional salvation" of 
XJniversalism, the "indulgences" of the papacy, the idola- 
try of the heathen, the infidelity of metaphysists, have all 
been checked and held in line by the forces of Methodism. 
Her scriptural doctrines, her scriptural usages and sacra- 
ments, her scriptural polity, and the consecration of her 
scriptural ministry have largely contributed to the correc- 
tion of the radical tendencies of all the isms of the day. 



The End, 



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